Sex Trafficking

Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz, facing allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, has tapped into a reliable source of funds to subsidize his legal tab: campaign donors’ contributions.

A federal judge gave the green light Thursday to move jailed R&B singer R. Kelly to New York City to go on trial this summer after several delays.

The political peril is deepening for conservative Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz

Pomona police have rescued a missing 17-year-old girl who told detectives she was a victim of human trafficking, authorities said Saturday.

Parents in National City say they woke up to find their 11-year-old daughter not in her bed. After a city-wide manhunt and rescue, the girl is now safe and police say the 20-year-old accused of taking her is in jail.

The host of the investigative true crime podcast “Evil by Design” has been on the trail of allegations against fashion mogul Peter Nygard for 10 years. In December, Nygard was arrested on charges of forced sex trafficking and trafficking of minors, among others. Host Timothy Sawa joined LX News to talk about his decade-long efforts to shed light on these allegations.

High-profile events that draw out-of-town visitors are natural targets for human traffickers

Holly Hayes is a survivor of trafficking and the founder of Sanctuary Project, a nonprofit jewelry business that is giving job training and steady employment to other victims. Hayes joined LX News to discuss how her project is helping women through the long healing process survivors face.

A cameraman who filmed about 120 videos for the defunct San Diego-based website GirlsDoPorn.com pleaded guilty Thursday to a federal charge of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking. Theodore Wilfred Gyi, 42, is the second of six defendants to plead guilty in connection with the website, which prosecutors allege produced and featured pornographic videos that were created under coercive circumstances. Prosecutors…

The pandemic has increased economic instability, which has made more people vulnerable to human trafficking and forced labor. Amy Rahe, a director of The Freedom Fund, joined LX News to debunk common misconceptions about modern slavery and to explain that it’s happening in the U.S. more often than you think.

Children have been more online than ever this year as the pandemic has moved learning out of the classroom and onto the internet. NBC San Diego has conducted a yearlong investigation, titled “Stolen,” into sex trafficking and the exploitation of children and found that the problem is much more widespread than most people realize. Investigative reporter Monica Dean joined LX...

A porn actor and producer who worked for disgraced San Diego-based website GirlsDoPorn.com pleaded guilty today to federal sex trafficking and conspiracy charges. Ruben Andre Garcia, 31, was one of six people charged with filming pornographic scenes that prosecutors allege involved coercing and defrauding scores of young women over the course of several years. The website and its operators were…

Federal prosecutors in New York have charged Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard in connection with an investigation into allegations he trafficked and sexually assaulted dozens of girls and women for years. The nine-count indictment out of the Southern District of New York also charges the 79-year-old Nygard with racketeering and other crimes. He was taken into custody in Canada Monday…

The self-improvement guru was sentenced on charges that he turned female members of the group into sex slaves and even branded some with his initials.

From NBC 7 comes STOLEN; an expansive documentary series about sex trafficking and the exploitation of children in San Diego County and beyond.

Federal authorities say nearly 40 missing or endangered children have been rescued by federal and state agents in Georgia.

Human trafficking is a global problem. The victims caught in the torrent of sex trafficking are of all nationalities, all ethnicities, all ages, and all genders. Yet, while the crisis impacts a wide swath of humanity, there are some profiles for children who are most at risk in America.

The novel coronavirus pandemic has impacted nearly every aspect of society. In particular, it has aided in the rise of sex trafficking on national and global levels.

To offset the increased exposure caused by social media and technology, experts are placing more and more emphasis on parents to sit down and have conversations with their children to make them aware of the dangers that lurk online.

There are more apps out there than we can keep track of, and not all of them are fun and games. Here are a few the San Diego County Human Trafficking Task Force says parents should be aware of