Deputies from 3 counties get GBI sex trafficking training

The GBI is training deputies from three counties in our area on how to combat sex trafficking. For the next couple of months, deputies from Richmond County, Greene County, and Taliaferro County will be taking the course.

Greene County deputy, Patrick Paquette, has taken the course before. He says, “This sex trafficking, it’s an epidemic, and it’s larger than what people know, it’s not highly publicized at this point.”

Paquette knows firsthand how important training for this sort of thing is. Two months after he attended his first GBI sex trafficking course, he rescued a victim during a traffic stop on I-20 in Taliaferro County.

“He had brought this child from the Atlanta area, brought her to Augusta exploited her all night in Augusta and was leaving Augusta when we came in contact with him,” he explains.

Training officers what to look for is important, Paquette says, because sex trafficking is a problem that’s being recognized more and more in Augusta.

“I stop cars all the time eastbound on I-20 with these children, with these prostitutes in them, headed to the Augusta area,” he said.

On Valentine’s Day, he was making traffic stops along I-20 in Greene County, and he was shocked with what he found.

“More than 50% of the cars I stopped that particular day had escorts in the vehicle heading to Augusta,” he says.

Cities along major interstates, like I-20, are prime targets for the human sex trade. Paquette works with the Interstate and Criminal Enforcement Unit, and she says, “Right here on Washington Rd., we have tons of motels where they can jump right off of I-20 and utilize those hotels, jump back on I-20 and move on, and that’s why I think it’s so large in the Augusta area.”

He says it’s not something the community needs to overlook. “They’re exploiting these young girls. It’s no different than selling drugs. They’re making a profit off of this stuff and it’s huge.”

Once the training is complete, 200 Richmond County deputies will have gone through the course.

 

 

source:  http://www.wrdw.com/home/headlines/3-local–227137341.html

 

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The long-ago death of Rilya Wilson demands justice

Against all odds, I kept the faith. I expected a smiling little girl with pig tails and chubby cheeks to say, “Hi, Ms. Wilson!” I was not ready, and certainly not willing to give up on finding Rilya Wilson.

As we begin Rilya’s murder trial on Monday we all have to deal with the cold reality that Rilya is gone. When Rilya went missing she was four years old, and if she were still alive today she would have been a 16-year-old teenager in the prime of her life.

As Rilya’s story started to unfold, I was serving in the Florida Legislature. As I learned about the details surrounding Rilya’s disappearance, specifically the utter disregard and lack of concern displayed by the Department of Children and Families, I was sickened.

I was sickened by the thought that DCF employees would falsify records indicating that Rilya was OK. I was sickened to learn that Rilya was one of thousands of children under the supervision of DCF whose whereabouts were unaccounted for and I was sickened to learn that Geralyn Graham, the roommate of the woman entrusted to care for Rilya allegedly had abused Rilya. Graham lied to DCF employees, but those employees would have known this had they performed their jobs diligently.

Rilya’s case exposed plenty of shortcomings at DCF, and I was proud to pass the Rilya Wilson Act in response to these failures. One of the most troubling aspects of Rilya’s case was the fact that Rilya had been withdrawn from school. If she were still in school there would have been eyes watching; and somebody would have known that she was missing. Instead of falling victim to DCF’s incompetence, and her caretaker’s negligence, Rilya could have been saved by procedures that we now have in place.

Under the Rilya Wilson Act, children in DCF custody must attend school. If a child in DCF care is reported as absent from school, the school is obligated by law to report an unexcused absence to the child’s caseworker. The caseworker is then obligated by law to visit the child and determine whether or not that child is within the custody of the foster parent. If that child is missing, the caseworker must notify law enforcement, and law enforcement will then proceed to take the necessary action to locate the child. We do not know exactly when Rilya went missing; but we do know that it took 18 months for the DCF to report it.

I think about Rilya every day. Her picture hangs in my office, and I continue to fight for Rilya in Congress. The federal adaptation of the Rilya Wilson Act, H.R. 3741, mandates that a state must have procedures to report missing children to law enforcement authorities for entry into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database, and to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. This bipartisan bill has more than 100 co-sponsors and is supported by my fellow members of the South Florida Congressional delegation. These common sense solutions at the state and federal level can assist in the recovery of missing children, and keep our children safe from harm.

Let us not forget that Rilya and children like her are all of our children. When the state removes a child from the biological parents and places them in foster care, the state and all of its residents become the guardian of those children. So Rilya technically belongs to all of us.

I am thankful for all of the wonderful people who take in foster children as their own, but I worry about children like Rilya who are not as fortunate. We must fight for Rilya Wilson while the nation’s eyes are on us.

Florida always finds itself at the center of controversies involving children; I pray that a scenario similar to Caylee Anthony is not repeated. We must fight for Rilya because her murder trial, like Caylee’s murder trial, deserves the national spotlight. Nancy Grace and the national media should dedicate their time and resources to Rilya’s trial, and simply not ignore her because she is a child of color. This happens too often.

While the Rilya Wilson Act put in place a procedure to protect children, and although administrators within DCF were forced to resign as a result of their incompetence, justice is what we seek for Rilya. Justice demands that Rilya’s killer be held accountable, and justice demands that Rilya’s death not be in vain. I pray for justice, and I pray for Rilya who is gone but never forgotten.

U.S. Rep. Frederica S. Wilson represents District 17 in Miami-Dade County.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/11/04/3079868/the-long-ago-death-of-rilya-wilson.html#storylink=cpy

Kara Nichols Missing Update: Colorado Teenager Model Photo Found on Website, Victim of Human Sex Trafficking?

A 19-year-old Colorado teen model named Kara Nichols was reported missing less than two months. Recently, photos of the teenager was found on a Las Vegas escort service website. This may provide clues for the police investigation to find the young aspiring model.

The erotic photos that were discovered were taken down from the website and there has been no more confirmed reports about Nichols being in Las Vegas.

“We had not seen those photos. Those are not in her bedroom. I don’t know if they are a Photoshopped situation or not,” Michelle Bart said representing Nichols’ family. “Unfortunately, this has definitely shaken the family quite a bit, that somebody would be this vicious.”

Nichols’ family and friends have not heard from her since October 9, 2012, when she apparently left to attend to a modeling gig in Denver, Colorado.

The illegal sex industry is a subculture that has long exploited young aspiring models to be involved in “illicit drugs and prostitution.” CBS affiliate KLAS reported that Nichols may have fallen victim to human sex trafficking.

There were some sites related to the illegal business in the search history of the websites Nichols visited.

If anyone has information regarding the missing teenager, please contact El Paso County Sherirff’s Office at 719-390-5555 or Crime Stoppers at 719-634-STOP.

Read more at http://www.mstarz.com/articles/6711/20121201/kara-nichols-missing-update-colorado-teenager-model-photo-found

In child sex-trafficking case, court says no knowledge of age needed

A federal appeals court held Friday that prosecutors did not need to prove a defendant in a child sex-trafficking case knew his victim was under 18, if the defendant had “reasonable opportunity” to observe the underage victim.

In a case of first impression for the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the court rejected a bid by Devon Robinson to overturn his child sex-trafficking conviction. Robinson claimed the government had not proven he was aware that the girl wa s underage at the time of the crime of which he was accused.

Robinson was convicted in 2010 of trafficking a 17-year-old girl. She testified at Robinson’s trial in Brooklyn federal court that he was her boyfriend, not her pimp, and said she told “everybody” at the time that she was 19, according to the ruling.

The jury convicted Robinson of two counts of sex trafficking of a minor, and he was sentenced to 15 years in prison. On appeal, he said the government could not prove he knew the girl’s age and therefore had not proven he recklessly disregarded this information.

Robinson and the government offered competing interpretations of Section 1591 of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000.

That section was amended in 2008 to enable prosecution to convict someone of child sex trafficking if he had acted in “knowing, or in reckless disregard of the fact … that the person has not attained the age of 18 years and will be caused to engage in a commercial sex act.”

Robinson argued that the government had to prove that he had ample opportunity to observe the girl, and that he had recklessly disregarded her underage status. Prosecutors countered that they only had to prove one or the other.

The 2nd Circuit agreed with the government.

“Viewed in context, the most natural reading of this provision is that proof that the defendant had a reasonable opportunity to observe the victim may substitute for proof that the defendant knew the victim’s underage status,” U.S. Circuit Judge Jose Cabranes wrote in the opinion. He was joined by Judge Chester Straub.

In a brief concurring opinion, Judge Amalya Kearse said she would affirm Robinson’s conviction but was not persuaded by the majority’s interpretation of Section 1591.

A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s office in Brooklyn declined to comment. Curtis Farber, an attorney who represented Robinson on appeal and has since been appointed as a judge in the Kings County Criminal Court, could not be immediately reached for comment.

The case is U.S. v. Robinson, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit, No. 11-301.

For the U.S.: Sylvia Shweder and David James of the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Eastern District of New York

 

source:http://newsandinsight.thomsonreuters.com/

Texas senator cracks down on human trafficking

The U.S. Senate passed the Child Protection Act of 2012 on Tuesday, legislation several years in the making that will help protect victims of child pornography, sexual abuse and trafficking by strengthening law enforcement’s ability to apprehend the culprits.

The act — which was introduced by Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and approved just prior to Human Trafficking Awareness Month in January — passed in both the Senate and House of Representatives. The bill now awaits President Barack Obama’s signature.

According to the U.S. Department of State, thousands of men, women and children are trafficked to the U.S. for sexual and labor exploitation. Many of these them are lured from their homes with false promises of a better life. Instead, they are entered into prostitution or other types of forced labor, according to the department.

“We need to provide law enforcement with every tool they need to crack down on the most vile criminals — child sex predators and traffickers — and protect the innocent young people who fall victim to these heinous crimes. This is an issue we can all agree on, and I’m pleased Congress has passed this important measure in a bipartisan fashion,” Cornyn said in a release. “I hope the President will sign this bill swiftly to bring greater justice and protection to victims and allow law enforcement to take immediate steps to stop child predators and traffickers in their tracks.”

Currently, the maximum prison term for the possession of child pornography depicting minors 18 years of age and younger is 10 years. The Child Protection Act would make the maximum prison term 20 years.

Current law gives courts the option to issue protective orders restraining harassment of minor victims and witnesses. After Obama signs the bill, however, the law will require judges to issue one if they find that a child witness is the target of harassment or intimidation.

By allowing courts to make this finding on their own motion, judges are encouraged to take an active role in protecting child witnesses in their courtroom, Cornyn said. The provision also fills a gap in current law by creating criminal penalties for intentional violation of these orders.

Other provisions originally outlined in the Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Deterrence and Victims Support Act — legislation introduced by Cornyn and Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) last year — that are included in the bill entail the reauthorization of funds for Internet Crimes Against Children Task Forces, which train executive and judicial officials on how to deal with cases of child sexual abuse.

“Law enforcement and advocacy organizations across the country are hard at work to crack down on the scourge of human trafficking,” Cornyn said. “Unfortunately, this is a pervasive crime that continues to destroy the lives of victims. Sadly major cities in Texas, such as Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston, are hubs for human trafficking due to a variety of factors, including major transportation thoroughfares, access to the border, and a high population of runaway youth who are more at risk to fall victim to trafficking.”

The term “human trafficking” and details of its underworld have been defined as a serious domestic problem in recent years. Current penalties for certain child exploitation offenses still do not recognize the aggravated nature of that crime when it is committed against young children.

In response to this, the Dallas office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office of Homeland Security Investigations and leaders from 17 other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies formed the North Texas Trafficking Task Force two years ago.

Designed to combine expertise, training and law enforcement to identify human traffickers and prosecute them while also protecting victims, the NTTTF also consists of six police departments from the DFW area, including Plano.

With the human trafficking industry being even more secretive than other crimes, ICE relies heavily on tips from the public to dismantle these organizations. To help further educate the public, the Department of Homeland Security’s Blue Campaign was created to increase awareness.

“You can’t put a dent in it unless the public is aware because that is where the majority of our leads come from,” said Carl Rusnok, spokesman for ICE Central Region in Dallas.

With 29 press releases on ICE’s website pertaining to child pornography and exploitation in November alone, it’s clear that these crimes are increasing and the problem is mounting. Many people still do not understand that these threats are so close to home, said Shawn McGraw, group supervisor for the NTTTF.

“We view it as the public is not aware of it and people are still kind of shocked when you bring it up to them,” he said. “This is relatively new — it’s a learning process. It’s still so new people don’t know what it is or that it’s happening in their backyards. We have very few experts in it.”

In an effort to evolve the law to more effectively keep traffickers behind bars, prosecutors will typically use whatever laws they can to combat this crime, McGraw said.

“It’s taking the tool out of the tool belt and using it best you can,” he said.

If they’re not charged with trafficking, they use similar charges like harboring or a multitude of violations in order to create the outcome they want. The more arrests that are made, the more ICE and the NTTTF can help perfect the law.

Last year, the NTTTF made 48 criminal arrests, but there’s a lot more work to do, said Sean Carson, assistant special agent for the NTTTF. Cornyn’s act will hopefully enable them to do just that, he said.

“Our goal is to get more cases before judges to get these violators taken down,” Carson said. “They’re selling human flesh for profit. They’re earning large sums on a commodity that is reusable and resalable, much more than narcotics or illegal arms.”

source:http://www.scntx.com/articles/2012/11/30/news_update/5946.txt#share

Proposition 35 Explained

Proposition 35 Explained

Proposition 35 is also known as the “Californians Against Sexual Exploitation Act” Initiative.  If it is approved by voters it will change the penalties for sex traffickers.  Among the changes: increasing the prison terms for human traffickers, requiring convicted sex traffickers to register as sex offenders, requiring all registered sex offenders to disclose their internet accounts, requiring criminal fines from convicted human traffickers to pay for services to help victims and mandating law enforcement training on human trafficking.

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About me: I am super excited to be a father. Oh how my life has changed. March 23rd is going to be a great day.

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Networks:

E. Michigan Alum ’03

Relationship Status:

Married to Leigh Wilson Todd

Website:

http://www.leighandjames2009.com

James A Todd

Basic Information

Networks:

E. Michigan Alum ’03

Sex:

Male

Relationship Status:

Married to Leigh Wilson Todd

Looking For:

Friendship
Networking

Contact Information

Website:

http://www.leighandjames2009.com

Education and Work

Grad School:

• Sierra Nevada ’07
• Masters Degree, Elementary Education

College:

• E. Michigan ’03
• Health and Physical Education

High School:

• Campbellville High school ’84

Employer:

Clark County School District

Position:

PE Educator

Time Period:

January 2004 – Present

Location:

Las Vegas, NV

Description:

I teach and coach sports

JESSICA FOSTER & PETER TODD HOW CAN YOU LIVE IN THE SAME HOUSE AND NOT KNOW WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE HOUSE. JAMES TODD IS PETER TODD’S TWIN BROTHER. HE LIVED IN THE…

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Forensic Drawings Raise Hope in Jessica Foster Case

Four years ago, Jessica Edith Louise Foster, a 21-year-old woman from Canada, vanished from the streets of Las Vegas, Nevada. Her family suspects foul play and believes she is a human trafficking victim.

In an effort to spur new leads in the case, Jessie’s family has released two age-progressed portraits, by forensic artist Diana Trepkov, depicting how Jessie might appear today. The drawings depict her in both a natural and unnatural physical condition.

The natural and healthy depiction of Jessie shows normal changes in her facial features. Around the eyes, mouth and cheeks, the age lines are slightly more pronounced and visible. There is less youthful fullness in her facial features and she has a thinner appearance overall.

The unnatural depiction of Jessie shows age progression, along with physical effects that would be expected of someone being held as a sex slave.

“Jessie is depicted in the first drawing as a victim who has not been treated as badly as she is in the second drawing,” reads a press release issued by Jessie’s mother, Glendene Grant. “The reason of course, is because we do not know the way Jessie is being treated and we had to ensure both scenarios were seen.”

Background

“Jessie was born in Calgary on May 27, 1984. She was the second daughter for Dwight Foster and myself,” Glendene told Investigation Discovery. “On June 27, 1987, I moved back to Kamloops, where I grew up and my parents still lived.”

According to Glendene, Jessie stayed with her in Kamloops until she reached the age of 16, when she moved back to Calgary to live with her father.  

“It was very sad for me but the Internet was something that made me feel that she was no farther away than the other room,” Glendene said. “Jessie was in chats with her sisters and me practically daily.”

Jessie did well in school and in June 2002, her mother and siblings drove to Calgary for her high school graduation ceremony. After receiving her diploma, Jessie got her own apartment and began working two jobs. She continued doing that until the spring of 2005, when she moved back to Kamloops.

“About three weeks later, Jessie started getting calls from a man named Donald – someone she knew from when she was a teenager,” Glendene said. “During one of her conversations with him, Donald asked Jessie if she wanted to go on a short trip with him to Florida to visit his mother. She told us he was paying for the trip and wanted company for the vacation. We did not feel that this was wrong, but we did ask Jessie if this guy wanted anything in return. She assured us he did not [and] went away, coming home a few days later with pictures of the trip.”

According to Glendene, Donald called Jessie again a few weeks later and asked her to go with him to New York and New Jersey.

“She was to go to these places and fly back home, but for some reason her trip got changed and she ended up going to Las Vegas. She arrived there on May 13, 2005. She called us and said she had decided to visit a friend she knew there. That friend was dating a man who introduced Jessie to another man, named Peter.”

Peter and Jessie allegedly got engaged and lived together in a 3.4 million dollar home in Las Vegas. Over the course of the next year Jessie racked up several arrests for prostitution and at one point was beaten so severely that she had to be hospitalized.

In 2006, Jessie stopped calling home and her family began to fear something had happened to her. They contacted Peter for answers and he allegedly told them that Jessie had left him in April 2006.  Concerned, Glendene reported her daughter missing to police. Unfortunately, there were few clues to follow and the case went cold.

With the passing of four years, Jessie’s mother is even more determined to find out what happened to her daughter. She has been actively involved in the case from the beginning and currently maintains a website devoted to the case. According to the site, a $50,000 dollar reward is being offered for information in the case.

“I have worked tirelessly in my search for my missing daughter and I will never stop until I find her,” Glendene said. “If Jessie is alive, we need to find her and if Jessie is not alive, we need to find her so her soul can rest in peace. Either way, I will find my daughter.”

Jessie is described as 5’7″ and 120 lbs., with blonde hair and hazel eyes. Anyone with information is asked to call Las Vegas Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477.

Photo Credits: Contributed

 Link to photo’s:http://blogs.discovery.com/criminal_report/2010/03/jessica-foster.html

source:http://blogs.discovery.com/criminal_report/2010/03/jessica-foster.html

Demi Moore: Child Sex Trafficking Is a Dirty Secret We Need to Confront

Earlier this year, actress Demi Moore and her husband, Ashton Kutcher, started the DNA (The Demi and Ashton) Foundation, which aims to eliminate child slavery worldwide. Shortly afterward, as part of the Pepsi Refresh Celebrity Challenge, she and Kevin Bacon battled to see who could get more fans to vote for them and their philanthropic causes. Moore triumphed, and as a result, the New York City-based nonprofit organization GEMS (Girls Educational and Mentoring Services) won a $250,000 grant from Pepsi. GEMS plans to use the funds to train 10 former victims to serve as outreach workers who will assist and rescue underage girls currently in the sex industry. PARADE spoke to Moore about why this issue is so important to her and what she would like Americans to know about sex trafficking.

PARADE: How did you first become interested in this topic?

MOORE: Ashton and I got involved after seeing a TV special about sex trafficking in Cambodia around two years ago. Some of the girls in it were so young, like 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 years old. We felt we couldn’t live in the world where that is allowed. As we started to delve into and educate ourselves on the issue, we were overwhelmed and horrified to discover how prevalent trafficking is. As we looked around, we saw we had a chance to contribute and make a difference. Twenty-seven million people are enslaved today around the world. We’ve tried to scale back our efforts to what connected us in the first place, which was children and sex slaves. Yet our ultimate goal is to participate in bringing an end to slavery as a whole. I don’t think any parent can watch that special and see these tiny little girls going up to men, girls who have Barbie lunch boxes. It’s just wrong, and I think it’s something we can all agree on. It needs to be stopped. It’s a matter of getting in there and getting the support to end it.

We were shocked by how large the commercial sex industry is in America. The average age that a girl enters the industry is 12 to 14. As a mother, I have to say, “Let’s put this in perspective, this is someone’s sister, someone’s daughter. It’s a little girl.” There’s a general misperception that people have about the girls in the industry, that these girls are choosing it. Enslavement is not just physical but also mental manipulation. We’re talking about people preying upon the most vulnerable among us—our children. I’ve met foreign victims who were brought in from Mexico to the United States. Ashton and I have plans to travel and connect with more. I’ve had the opportunity to meet [Cambodian activist] Somaly Mam quite a few times.

Q: What is your connection to GEMS?

A: We went to GEMS offices and met quite a few of these girls and heard their stories. One of them was 11, another was 13, one had been “guerilla” pimped by a trafficker who was traveling the country with underage girls. He was caught by the FBI. What was so moving is that in our country, except in the state of New York where the Safe Harbor Act was passed and it treats underage girls as victims of rape as opposed to teen prostitutes, the law tends to criminalize these girls. Meanwhile, the johns and pimps often get minimal penalties. A pimp can make $150,000 to $200,000 a year from one girl. How can we shift the focus from the criminalization of these girls and place a greater focus on who is creating the demand? The men who are soliciting them look at these girls as having chosen the industry even though they’re 12 or 20. The average john is a 30-year-old married man with no criminal record. We’d like to humanize the victims and also bring names and faces to the johns. I think if we had greater accountability, we’d have a chance of reducing the demand for young prostitutes.

Read More about GEMS: Guiding Young Girls to Better Lives

Q: How did you hear about GEMS?

A: Once you start to open the door, you find the organizations and the NGOs that are making a difference, and we heard about Rachel Lloyd and GEMS. It’s a survivor-led organization and the largest organization for victims that exists in the U.S. I had a chance to see what they’re trying to do, and their model is one that can be replicated in the country. Right now, they have a limited outreach. GEMS makes such a huge difference, transforming the girls they reach into positive and productive individuals who give back. Yet they struggle to have the funds to operate.

GEMS is trying to assist juveniles who are extracted from sex industry. They’re helping them getting high-school diplomas if they don’t have them and going to college. I love the fact that GEMS also trains the girls it rescues from sex trafficking to serve as outreach workers in their communities. One outreach worker can reach 100 girls. The former victims have a level of understanding in reaching out to girls who are not open and under control of pimps, and they’re able to break through that. They often go into the juvenile-justice system to find girls to help, because where do you put them, except for justice system or foster care?

Q: Are you concerned with working against sex trafficking on a domestic or on a worldwide level?

A: We have a worldwide interest in sex trafficking, but for now we want to ground it domestically. We went down with the Department of Homeland Security to the border at San Diego and met some victims who had the enormous courage to testify against their trafficker. The girls were 19 and 20, and they’d been smuggled over the border. Trafficking was a family business, and this man’s mother and brother were also involved. The trafficker told these girls he loved them and said, “If you love me, you will do this for me.”

We want to put the issue of sex trafficking at the top of people’s lists of concerns and not just part of the list. One of the things we’re trying to do is to work on changing policy in the states where trafficking is not a felony. We approached the Governor of Massachusetts and asked him why human trafficking there is not a felony under state law there. That’s also true in Hawaii, Alabama, Ohio, South Dakota, West Virginia, Wyoming, and Washington, D.C, I think.

Photos: See More Celebrities Who Help Children

Q: What would you like PARADE readers to do?

A: People should see “Playground.” It’s a wonderful documentary about children in America who are victims of sex slavery. In general, I’d like to ask them to educate themselves about the issue. Awareness is the beginning of creating great change. Our society needs to identify slavery and call it what it is and look at it in the U.S. People should also find out, what laws and programs do you have place in your state to protect girls? Is there a task force? The issue is understaffed and underfunded.

When one person is enslaved, we’re all enslaved. We’ve been tweeting to the Senators on the foreign relations committee to ask them to support change. Sex trafficking is this dirty little secret, but I think people are now prepared to hear about it. It’s our obligation to come together and end slavery. Before I end this interview, I want to thank Pepsi. Not only did it support us with our issue, the company provided an opportunity for us in the form of the Pepsi Refresh Celebrity Challenge to go out and get the public to vote on our idea. We won a huge grant for GEMS. Pepsi is affecting change and helping us reach an incredible audience.

Get Inspired: Read More on What America Cares About

source:http://www.parade.com/news/what-america-cares-about/featured/100509-demi-moore-interview.html

Colleen M. Hollywood: My Las Vegas Experience

After sending Jessica Foster’s mother, Glendene Grant, the below documentation in an email regarding my 2004 Las Vegas experience with pimps and other evil people, I read on Jessie’s website Lindsey Harris was also missing under the same circumstances. When I searched Lindsey’s name, I found her on AMW’s website. I read four girls(including Jessica & Lindsey) were missing between 2003-2006. All were slender white females between 5’4” – 5’6” with blond hair & three had the middle name of Marie. This also describes me. My name is Colleen Marie Hollywood. I am 5’5″, slender, & had blond hair when I lived in Vegas for three months. The only exceptions were I was 38 & did not have a black boyfriend or pimp, but within two weeks four pimps were trying to recruit me. I also sent the documentation to America’s Most Wanted since Jessie and Lindsey were both on their television show I watch every Saturday night. I know I am lucky to be alive &/or not missing:

On Mon 10/26/09 2:59 AM , Colleen Hollywood sent:

Dear Glendene,

I just watched the case regarding the disappearance of Jessie. The show I watched was on the E channel. It was called Young, Beautiful, & Vanished: 15 Most Unthinkable Crimes. I cannot help but wonder if GOD was responsible for keeping me home today due to being sick because I was suppose to take my granddaughter to a Halloween party at 3 p.m. Ironically, the show also began at 3 p.m. When I seen the blurred out picture of Peter, who was obviously black, the hair all over my body stood straight up. I immediately flashed back to August of 2004 when I was in Vegas. Within two weeks, four pimps were after me. Two were Afro-Americans by the names of Stranger and G-Money a.k.a. Greg. The third was a Dominican by the name of Donwell. The fourth I never met, but his name was Pete. At one point this guy, Michael, informed me someone by the name of Pete heard about me and wanted to meet me, but it never happened. When I seen the blurred out picture of Peter, I just got this gut feeling he was the Pete who was interested in meeting me.

Then I go to Jessie’s website to find out the only person who visited her in Vegas was named Colleen B., which eerily was my name and initials at the time I was in Vegas. My bad experiences in Vegas began in June of 2004. I thought maybe the things I knew about the people from Vegas might help with your search for Jessie. The only thing is I mostly have street names. For those I do have names on, I do not have last names. I am hoping either Jessie or Colleen may have mentioned one of the following names such as Stranger, G-Money, Donwell, Jessica, LV, Michael, Nikki, Tangerine, Skeeter, Wiggles, Darryl(Donwell’s brother-in-law), Jaz, and Bounce. I still have G-Money and Michael’s phone numbers although I do not know if they are still valid.

Like Jessie, I moved to Las Vegas alone not knowing a soul. I always had the feeling I was lucky to make it out of Vegas alive. It was confirmed after watching the segment regarding Jessie’s disappearance. In June of 2004, I left Pennsylvania driving to Las Vegas to attend The Art Institute in Henderson, Nevada located just a few miles from Vegas. In the early hours of August 19, 2004, I called police for help. I just moved out of a home owned by a man I was renting a room off of. I found out later he only rented to women. Long story short, this guy was interfering with my potential job phone calls because he wanted me financially dependent on him. The night I left his home, I was drunk for the first time in the three months of moving to Vegas. I was homeless and suicidal. I only had $400 left to my name. I told the 911 operator if they did not get me help I was going to carbon monoxide my cat and myself.

When the officer arrived, he realized I was intoxicated. I had to take a sobriety test, which I failed. He told me the local Shelter would not take me because I was intoxicated besides I was not leaving my cat. He asked me if I had any money. I told him yes. He then reserved me a room at a Motel 6 located at 5085 South Industrial Road, LV, NV, 89118. He told me he had to cuff me before putting me in the back of the police vehicle. He put me and my cat in the back seat and drove to the hotel. He then went inside and paid for my room. I still have the receipt. He then gave me the key. He left me intoxicated and alone in what turned out to be Crack, Pimp, and Prostitute Road. I cannot help but wonder if the police knew what they were doing and were part of “throwing me to the wolves”. That is why I thought it would be best to contact you instead of the police. I did not want to give them the opportunity to cover anything up. I still have the police report indicating I was a Transient with no known address. To my knowledge the police never followed up to see if I was okay. Remember, I was suicidal. While going to my room, I ran into some people partying. Within two weeks, I met all of the people I mentioned. Everything in their world happens very fast.

Somehow I found out the name of Las Vegas’ only Shelter, Shade Tree. I also found someone nice in Vegas who took care of my beloved cat until I got things in order. As soon as I mentioned G-Money, Stranger, and Donwell, they accepted me immediately. I was put on the tightly secured Domestic Violence floor located at the top of the building. A few days later I returned to the Shelter with a bag full of items a Booster(thief) left in my room as directed by G-Money. The bag contained an unopened bottle of baby oil, condoms, two packs of player cards, a belt, and a shirt with a knife stuck in the seam. When I mentioned Donwell’s name, the girl looked up at me and said, “You know Donwell? Can I call the police for you to be an informant?” I replied, “No, the police are the ones responsible for putting me into this situation.” To this very day, I still have all of these items. I called Michael informing him of what just happened. He told me they were sending me the message they were going to rape me because I was not complying with them. He went on to say people in Vegas love women like me who come there alone. He said some families never hear from them ever again because they end up burnt in the desert. I said, “Well, not this girl!” By the end of the week I left Vegas never looking back.

The following afternoon after the cop dropped me off, I rented a room for a week at The Budget Suites –Wynn located at 4205 West Tropicana, LV, NV 89103. This white girl named Jessica moved in with me to help with the rent. Yeah, right! Her boyfriend, a black pimp known as Stranger, beat the crap out of her right in front of me because she had not been in touch with him. He hunted her down like a dog. He then dragged her into her bedroom leaving shortly thereafter. She came out of the bedroom bleeding saying he just sodomized her. I knew at that moment I had to get myself out of this situation. He came back a day or so later hitting on me telling me we could make a lot of money together. I told him if I wanted to sell my ass, I did not need him to do it. He did not like what I said at all and I knew it, so I went to Darryl’s room in order to put my moving out plan into immediate action. In between moving out, Jessica and LV stole my ATM card. The bank informed me there was an attempt to withdraw $100, but it was denied because of invalid pin. A check was also stolen, but I immediately withdrew the remaining amount of money I had left in the account before the check would clear. They also went through all of my clothing, which I found hidden in the bottom drawer of the stove.

Through Jessica I met this other black guy who went by the name of G-Money. Both he and Stranger apparently had wives at home. It is just so disgusting! G-Money said he had an old vehicle, so the police don’t get suspicious of him. He also said he had to find a real job because of his lack of one and living in a real nice home did not add up. One time I called one of G-Money’s phone numbers and heard his real name, Greg. He told me Stranger was Jessica’s pimp. The first night I met him he pulled out a bag of crack as big as a brick. He bragged about how he mastered the art of cooking cocaine into rock cocaine a.k.a. crack. He said they would cook it at either his brother or brother-in-law’s home. I cannot remember which one he said. He would throw chunks of crack at me because he had a motive. He was a pimp who wanted me on the streets selling myself for sex. Of course, he never admitted to being a pimp, but I was not stupid. His goal was to get me addicted in order for his plan to work. Well, it didn’t work. He started out real nice as my “friend”. He became really annoyed with me because I was not complying with “his” plan for me. He said he wanted to hook me up with his million dollar friend, Michael, who turned out to be a rich spoiled crack head. My journey ended in some of the most well-known hotels in Las Vegas. Michael would have a few hotel rooms at a time within one Casino. He would change hotels often. He would sit in his room for hours smoking crack, watching porn, and rubbing him. He would throw $100 bills at me and I did not even sleep with him. It started with $500 then it dwindled down to $100 when he realized I had no intentions of sleeping with him. He would give his Boosters money to go steal things for him. They called him, Master. He had a tripod in his one of his hotel rooms. G-Money told me he would show me how to go to the casino’s to get paid thousands for just standing there in a dress and heels rubbing some rich guy’s back while he gambles, but this is what he introduced me to. Both G-Money and Jessica separately said to me, “You don’t know how much of a gold mine you are sitting on.”

After moving in with Darryl, one morning he left early. Later that day is when I met his brother-in-law, Donwell. He showed up at Darryl’s room to move Darryl back home with his sister. I was sleeping in the enclosed bedroom when Darryl came in telling me they were making him move back home. He said he did not want to, but had no other choice. That’s when Donwell yelled, “That’s right, honey. He is done paying your bills.” I jumped up immediately saying, “He never paid my bills. As a matter of fact, I came to his room to find him hurdled over because he did not eat in four days as a result of someone taking his money and his vehicle. I then immediately got him something to eat, so before you judge me……..” I then walked into the living room. Donwell immediately jumped up and said, Well, hello. What is your name?” He then pulled me into the bathroom pulling out a vial of crack. As we smoked he said, “So why are you wearing wedding rings?” I told him for self defense. He told me people in Vegas would drug me and cut off my finger to steal the rings. As they were leaving, Donwell looked back at me. He pointed and whispered, “I will be back for you. “ I thought, “Oh, no you won’t.” I remembered while in the bathroom telling him he had mean eyes like my husband. After they left, I immediately called G-Money to tell him what just happened. He yelled, “You met Donwell? How did you meet him?” I told him he was Darryl’s brother-in-law. He replied, “Donwell is a mean ass pimp who will beat the fuck out of you. You are lucky he didn’t from the way that you spoke to him. Get your shit together. I will pick you up within 15 minutes to get you out of there before he comes back. “Yeah, like he was any better of a person. Within a day or so, we went back to the room to find it ripped apart. Donwell must have went on a rampage when he returned and I was gone.

One night I was almost jumped by three black girls. The main one in charge was Wiggles. I was with Michael and so messed up on drugs and alcohol I could not even speak. A few days later, Wiggles knocked on my door as if nothing happened. As I looked out the window, she was smiling waiting for me to open the door. What she did not know is that I had a few broken bottles waiting for anyone who wanted or deserved some. She was one of those who deserved some. Through the window she saw me pick up a bottle. I opened the door and chased her down the hallway and steps with a broken bottle in my hand. I was yelling to her, “What’s the matter? You’re not so tough without your friends? This is how Pennsylvania deals with people like you.” I never had seen anyone run so fast in my life. I stayed in my hotel room for a few days before using my previous landlord for a free place to stay in order to set my plans in order to get the hell out of Vegas as soon as possible. As I said I was gone by the end of the week.

People in Vegas are from a different breed. They are players. They will kill you over a dime. I could not believe what I witnessed within only two weeks not to mention the landlord incident. I feel the only reason why I am alive is because I was 38 years-old at the time having much more experience with people unlike a young 21 year-old Jessie did. I just hope any of the information I have provided assists in finding out what happened to Jessie. May GOD be with you all. Jessie and your family will be in my thoughts and prayers.

Sincerely, Colleen Hollywood

p.s. – I have made some additions and typo corrections to this documentation.

— On Thu, 10/29/09, Jessies Mom – Glendene Grant wrote:

From: Jessies Mom – Glendene Grant
Subject: Re: In response to watching Jessie’s case on television
To: Colleen
Date: Thursday, October 29, 2009, 10:07 PM

Colleen, thank you for contacting me…I appreciate that SO VERY MUCH. Opening up to me and trusting me with what happened to you is something that I know was not easy to do but I am so grateful you did.
Some of those names are familiar to me, G-Money for sure…maybe Nikki. I also know that Peter used Motel 6 sometimes. I have a friend who is looking through our files for info to coincide with what you told us.
I am so glad that you got away from this group. They are not good people and I know they may have done something to my daughter. I think that Jessie is smart, but they either tricked or drugged her to get her away and now won’t let her go. Of course, either that or they have murdered my child. We will find her one way or the other…I just hope it is soon and I hope she is alive.
Thank you for sharing….please, keep in touch with me. My personal email address is: glendene@telus.net – Jessie’s mom Glendene.
REWARD: $50,000 to the person who helps us find Jessie
WEBSITE: http://jessiefoster.ca/
FORUM: http://findjessie.com/
BLOG: http://jessiefoster.blogspot.com
TWITTER: http://twitter.com/MissingJessie
AMERICA’S MOST WANTED: http://www.amw.com/missing_persons/brief.cfm?id=60803
ABC NIGHTLINE: Hunting Humans on the Highways: http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=7582591
2009 TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS REPORT: http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2009/index.htm
JESSIE’S POSTERS in 12 DIFFERENT LANGUAGES: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=7986&id=1643822787&l=e0786b6f4b

—– Original Message —–
From: Colleen Hollywood
To: glendene
Sent: Thursday, October 29, 2009 10:00 PM
Subject: Re: In response to watching Jessie’s case on television

Oh Glendene,

I cried when I read your email. I pray you find Jessie alive. I have a daughter and granddaughter and could not imagine what you are going through. If you need anything else from me, just let me know. My memory is pretty good, but I may have omitted a person’s name that you may have.

I did remember G-Money saying he had an old vehicle, so the police don’t get suspicious of him. He also said he had to find a real job because of his lack of one and living in a real nice home did not add up.

After sending my original email to you, I noticed on your website another girl was missing from Vegas by the name of Lindsey Harris. I googled her name and found her case was on America’s Most Wanted. I immediately sent them the information I sent to you. I have not heard from them yet, but as soon as I do I will let you know.

Sincerely, Colleen

On Fri, 10/30/09, Glendene Grant wrote:

From: Glendene Grant
Subject: Re: In response to watching Jessie’s case on television
To: “Colleen Hollywood”
Date: Friday, October 30, 2009, 4:00 PM

Lindsay was found dead last year. Have you ever heard of Solomon Barron? He is the person who may be responsible…
If you can think of anything or have other info, please send it to me. Bless your heart for being here for me and for my Jessie, Glendene.

From: Colleen Hollywood
Subject: Re: In response to watching Jessie’s case on television
To: “Glendene Grant” Date: Saturday, October 31, 2009, 3:59 AM

Glendene,

I have not heard of Solomon Barron. I did see a picture of him on one of the websites. I think it was AMW. Did he have a street name? I also remembered hearing the name of Hollywood, but I never met him.

You know, it simply amazes me how sweet and phoney G-Money first appeared. He paid for a room for me for a week in order to get me away from Donwell. He was not concerned about my safety. He just did not want Donwell to steal me away from him. To them it’s a competition. When he realized I was falling for his tricks, I would find him sitting in his vehicle across the street at another hotel obviously stalking me. One time he had enough balls to stand outside his vehicle just staring up at my room. That is when I got red lipstick and wrote VEGAS SUCKS all over my window. Then I tied the belt around the curtain rod attaching the tank top that had Las Vegas written on it in gold, which as I said in my original email were both left in my room by a Booster set up by G-Money. I then torched the tank top in broad daylight. G-Money watched the entire thing from across the street. I remember him telling me at one point I could not handle the game. For security purposes until I left that room for good, I always put a huge desk in front of the door. People in Vegas are cowards. They prey on unsuspecting women.

Another time I was walking to my room when I was obviously being stalked by a strange man in his vehicle. When he finally approached me, he said, “Hey baby, do you want to go for a ride? What he did not know I was carrying a flat bar inconspicuously in a McDonald’s bag. I pulled the flat bar from the bag replying, I don’t know, do you want this flat bar upside your head?” I will never forget the look of fear on his face. He immediately drove off and I never seen him again.

I never thought I would say this, but for the first time in my life I am thanking GOD for putting me through my parent’s domestic violence as early as I can remember. I feel the violence has resulted in me attracting five abusive relationships. I was also molested by a half-sibling at 8 years-old and subjected to spousal rape by my husband. What I did not know was Chronic Post-traumatic stress was taking over my once responsible life. I was out of control. I was running from the abuse my second husband inflicted upon me. He was very capable of killing me with his bear hands and I was capable of killing him with a weapon.

Wanting you to feel no doubt about my sincerity in helping find your beloved precious daughter, Jessie, I felt it is necessary to share with you some of my published articles about my life of abuse under: http://www.divinecaroline.com/member_workspace/home. I know if I was in your situation I was be leery of everyone.

I beg the Lord to bring Jessie home safe.No parent should feel the pain you are experiencing of not knowing where their child is. I wish I had a loving caring mother such as you are. If I would have went missing in Vegas, my mother and father would have never devoted their lives to search for me. To this very day, they have never ever reached out to me admitting they are responsible for molding me into a victim of abuse in every sense of the word. They do not care about the pain their violence has cause me.In order for me to finally heal and move on letting go of all of this destructive anger, I must accept the fact my parents are too selfish to ever accept any responsibility not to mention the lack of compassion they have for their daughter. This is there problem not mine. I am beginning to find comfort in knowing GOD already knows all the awful things they have done to me. They are the ones who will have to answer for their sins against me. All I can do is not be like them by loving my daughter and granddaughter unconditionally until I take my last breath. My goal is to help every victim I possible can. These two things are my only main goals.

With much compassion and love, Colleen

The following is what I sent to AMW:

I think I may have some information that may be of assistance regarding the case of Lindsey Harris. Yesterday I watched a show on E! about another missing young girl, Jessica Foster. After sending Jessica’s mother an email outlining my 2004 Las Vegas experience with pimps and other evil people, I read on Jessica’s website that Lindsey Harris was also missing under the same circumstances. When I searched Lindsey’s name, I found her on AMW’s website. I read four girls(including Jessica and Lindsey) were missing between 2003-2006. All were slender white females between 5’4” – 5’6” with blond hair and three had the middle name of Marie. This also describes me. My name is Colleen Marie Hollywood. I am 5’5″, slender, with blond hair. The only exceptions were I was 38 and did not have a black boyfriend or pimp, but within two weeks four pimps were trying to recruit me. Two were black, one was Dominican, and the other was named Pete, who I never met. I feel the only reason why I am alive is because of my experience with evil people due to my age. I have since dyed my hair to a light brown. I will copy the email information I sent to Jessica’s mother under the below “Other Comments” section.

Glendene Grant and MissingJessie Foster like this.

Glendene Grant

Colleen, thank you for sharing this with everyone. There are so many stories out there, most want to keep them between them and me, and I completely understand this, but when we open up to to our friends, to the public and to the world, it is more likely these evil groups of people (term used lightly) will get smaller and one day, maybe be gone – … See Moremostly gone or even some gone is still ok – better than it is now. I will share this with others. Again, thank you friend. Jessie’s mom Glendene.
PS: I also want to put my “Jessie’s mom” email of jessiesmom@jessiefoster.ca on here and my list of links is updates so I will repost them with some additional info about Jessie.
_______________________________________________
My Canadian daughter JESSIE FOSTER is an international endangered missing person and a human trafficking victim.

There have been thoughts that perhaps Jessie was the victim of the truck driver / highway / serial killer scenarios that the FBI is working on, but there is one huge point that was overlooked when this was discussed: “If Jessie was kidnapped and murdered by a truck driver, where did her belongings go? Jessie had all her things packed because she was planning on coming home to Canada when she mysteriously vanished – all of her belongings went missing with Jessie, except her hairdryer and makeup, which was left in the bathroom of her home. Did the truck driver go to Jessie’s house in North Las Vegas and take her things (not likely)? Or did the actual person who kidnapped her (possibly her ‘fiancé’) Peter Todd, who she was living with at the time of her disappearance) take her PACKED belongings with her…because everything was packed and easy to take – but forgetting she had a few personal belongings in the bathroom?” Jessie has been missing from Las Vegas, NV for almost 4 years (since March 29, 2006) and is most likely a human trafficking victim. There have been many human trafficking task forces and experts who agree and have told me it looks to be a classic case, with the places Jessie was taken to being hubs for human trafficking and things like her phone bills (which I have), most of them were up to 25 pages and $2500 to $3000 each month, another prime sign of what was happening to her.

IS THERE ANYONE OUT THERE WHO CAN HELP ME FIND HER? CAN YOU PLEASE HELP ME FIND HER? JESSIE COULD BE ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.
THERE ARE MANY WAYS – PRAYERS; TELLING OTHERS; REPOSTING HER INFORMATION;
PASS HER FLYERS TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW AND HAVE THEM FORWARD THEM TO EVERYONE THEY KNOW . . . and so on, and so on, and so on!
_______________________________________________
REWARD: $50,000 – DONATATIONS ACCEPTED, BUT NEVER ASKED FOR OR REQUIRED
USED FOR THE INVESTIGATION SUCH AS RAISING REWARD; PRIVATE INVESTIGATION; POSTERS . . .
Official Website for Missing Jessie Foster – http://www.jessiefoster.ca/
Facebook Glendene Grant – http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1631212503&ref=profile
Facebook MissingJessie Foster – http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1643822787&ref=profile
MySpace – http://www.myspace.com/
NowPublic – http://my.nowpublic.com/jessiesmomglendene
Jessie Blog – http://jessiefoster.blogspot.com/
News Articles Blog – http://jessiesnewsarticles.blogspot.com/
Newsletter Blog – http://whitepicketfencenewsletter.blogspot.com/
Jessie Forum – http://www.findjessie.com/
Twitter ~ Regular – http://twitter.com/MissingJessie
TwitPics ~ Pictures – http://twitpic.com/photos/MissingJessie
YouTube ~ Videos – http://www.youtube.com/JessiesMomGlendene
Jessie’s AMW Page – http://www.amw.com/missing_persons/brief.cfm?id=60803
ABC NIGHTLINE: Hunting Humans on the Highways: http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=7582591
2009 TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS REPORT: http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2009/index.htm
Jessie’s Posters in 12 Different Languages: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=7986&id=1643822787&l=e0786b6f4b
ID – Investigative Discovery: http://investigation.discovery.com/blogs/criminal-report/april8/april8.html
Human Trafficking In Canada – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCPjEJD9uk0

February 21 at 2:29pm · Report

Colleen M. Hollywood

Glendene, I will do anything in my power to help find Jessie. She is always in my thoughts and so are you and your family.

February 22 at 6:36am · Report

MissingJessie Foster

Thank you friend. I love you!!! G.

February 22 at 3:07pm · Report

Colleen M. Hollywood

Awww..I love you too, G!

February 22 at 10:45pm · Report

MissingJessie Foster

✾◕ ‿ ◕✾

February 22 at 11:01pm · Report

Colleen M. Hollywood

That is so cute!

February 22 at 11:10pm · Report

source: http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=346458883783