Latest Human trafficking News

California will end arrests for loitering for prostitution
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday signed a new state law that will stop police from arresting people for loitering for prostitution, an issue that divided sex workers and advocates during a rare nine-month delay since state lawmakers passed the bill last year. ...
Woman brought baby, stash of drugs to Florida prison visit
ARCADIA, Fla. (AP) — A 44-year-old Florida woman brought her infant grandchild along with a stash of cocaine and heroin to a recent prison visit, officials said. But guards searching visitors at the DeSoto Correctional Institution on Sunday found nearly 100 grams (3.5 ounces) of...

R. Kelly sentenced to 30 years in sex trafficking case
NEW YORK (AP) — Disgraced R&B superstar R. Kelly was sentenced Wednesday to 30 years in prison for using his fame to sexually abuse young fans, including some who were just children, in a systematic scheme that went on for decades. Through tears and anger, several of Kelly's...

R. Kelly timeline: Shining star to convicted sex trafficker
R. Kelly's musical accomplishments have been accompanied by a long history of allegations that he sexually abused women and children. Now the R&B singer has been sentenced to spend the next three decades behind bars. A jury found Kelly guilty in September of sex trafficking...
Puerto Rico police uncover island's biggest pot greenhouse
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico police said they raided the island's largest hydroponic marijuana greenhouse on Tuesday, with nearly 2,000 plants being grown in a former addiction treatment center. Police Commissioner Antonio López Figueroa said officers discovered the...

A timeline of the Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell scandal
NEW YORK (AP) — From the moment he first faced criminal charges, in 2006, Jeffrey Epstein has been the object of public fascination, conspiracy theories and outrage — especially after his lawyers got prosecutors to agree to a lenient plea deal that spared him from serious prison time. ...
MS-13 gang members convicted of trafficking 13-year-old girl
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — Seven members and associates of the MS-13 street gang have been convicted of sex trafficking in federal court after taking in a 13-year-old runaway and coercing her into commercial sex acts in Maryland and Virginia. The seven defendants all face a mandatory...

7 accusers write to Ghislaine Maxwell's sentencing judge
NEW YORK (AP) — Seven women who say Ghislaine Maxwell helped Jeffrey Epstein steal the innocence of their youth and poison the promise of their future are asking a judge to consider their pain as she decides what prison sentence she will dispense Tuesday to the incarcerated British woman. ...

Several accusers seek roles at Ghislaine Maxwell sentencing
NEW YORK (AP) — Two of four women who testified at Ghislaine Maxwell’s trial that she had a role in their sexual abuse at the hands of financier Jeffrey Epstein may be speaking at her sentencing or have their statements read aloud, court filings Friday show. Prosecutors told a...

Feds: Ghislaine Maxwell deserves at least 30 years in prison
NEW YORK (AP) — British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell should spend at least 30 years in prison for her role in the sexual abuse of teenage girls over a 10-year period by her onetime boyfriend, financier Jeffrey Epstein, prosecutors said Wednesday in written arguments. Prosecutors...
