Investigating and Prosecuting Trafficking in Illicit Massage Businesses: Part 3

Investigating and Prosecuting Trafficking in Illicit Massage Businesses: Prosecution Strategies, Part 3 Presented by Jane Anderson, Attorney Advisor at AEquitas and Bradley Myles, CEO and Oriene Shin, Strategic Initiatives Specialist at Polaris Illicit Massage Businesses (IMBs) are known fronts for criminal activity and human trafficking. They are venues guised as legitimate massage or bodywork businesses in which women are forced, coerced, and defrauded into performing countless sex acts with strangers on a daily basis. As in other sex-trafficking settings, many of the women fail to self-identify as victims of sexual, psychological, and physical violence by perpetrators who exploit their inability or unwillingness to engage the criminal justice system. Instead, the women view themselves as consenting members of IMBs. In spite of increased law enforcement efforts to combat human trafficking, IMBs have proved to be difficult targets largely because of ineffective response focused more on arresting individuals (particularly women) than on effectively dismantling organizations and offering services to victims. This traditional law enforcement response jeopardizes victim safety, permits “buyers” to escape accountability, and permits owners to resume operations in a new venue. Part 3 provides an overview of how trauma impacts victims of IMBs in addition to practical trauma-informed interviewing techniques that help us develop stronger and more understandable narratives. The presenters discussed making appropriate charging decisions; litigating pretrial motions to protect victim privacy; establishing the elements of the charges with or without victim participation; and educating the jury through voir dire, expert testimony, and effective witness examinations. Click here to view the recording of the June 30, 2016 webinar.