THIRTY MEN ARRESTED DURING ONLINE PROSTITUTION OPERATION
Feb 12
San Diego Man Pleads Guilty to Sex Trafficking of Children
Feb 08
We earned a 2021 Gold Seal of Transparency!
Feb 03The Bilateral Safety Corridor Coalition recognizes the importance of transparency in our efforts to be a leader in the global fight against human trafficking. For our ongoing efforts, we have received the “Gold Star for Transparency.” “
We are pleased that BSCC has been recognized for our practices. It is important for our donors, large and small, to know that everything we do is on the up and up,” stated Anne Hoiberg, president of BSCC’s board of directors.
The recognition is because our nonprofit provides qualitative information about how the organization aims to achieve its goals. These questions are from Charting Impact, an initiative of the BBB Wise Giving Alliance, Independent Sector, and GuideStar to develop a common format for nonprofits to report on their effectiveness.
GuideStar, www.guidestar.org, helps donors make smart decisions about the organizations to fund with donations. Every year, more than 10 million donors use Guidestar to help make better decisions about nonprofits and the work they do. GuideStar is itself a 501(c)(3) public charity.
Human Trafficking Awareness Month, the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force (SDHTTF)
Jan 31Marisa Ugarte, Executive Director of the Bilateral Safety Corridor Coalition, congratulates the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force for addressing the demand of NO buyers, NO trafficking.
As part of Human Trafficking Awareness Month, the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force (SDHTTF) conducted a three-day operation (January 26th through January 28th) throughout San Diego County targeting sex buyers and traffickers. The San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force and allied local law enforcement agencies arrested a total of 30 men for solicitation and one man for pimping, pandering, and possession of a concealed firearm, after he recruited an undercover detective into prostitution online. These cases will be referred to local prosecutors.
Sex buyers help drive the demand for the criminal business of sex trafficking. The activities of those arrested in this operation contribute to the negative consequences victims of human trafficking endure. The San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force is committed to combatting human trafficking by not only investigating and pursuing traffickers, but also by pursuing those looking to pay and engage in this type of unlawful activity.
The San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force is comprised of:
California Department of Justice
California Highway Patrol
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Homeland Security and Investigations
National City Police Department
San Diego City Attorney’s Office
San Diego County District Attorney’s Office
San Diego County Probation Department
San Diego County Sheriff’s Department
San Diego Police Department
United States Attorney’s Office, Southern District of California
The Chula Vista Police Department also participated in the operation.
The San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force encourages the public to report human trafficking to their local law enforcement agency or by calling the National Human Trafficking Hotline at (888) 373-7888.
San Diego, CA linea de ayuda local (619) 666-2757
Major Developments In Human Trafficking
Jan 29U.S Attorney Robert Brewer released his San Diego annual regional report. The report included some major developments in human trafficking.
In 2020, the San Diego office led in the national effort to end human trafficking and child exploitation. The release states, “According to a May 26, 2020 report from the Human Trafficking Institute, the Office was #1 in the nation in 2019 for charging the most new trafficking defendants. We were #4 in the nation for active cases, and we charged the largest human trafficking case in 2019 – a forced labor case involving 12 defendants.”
The report goes on to say, “this included a case in August 2020 resulting in the arrest of Luigi Popescu of Romania for his role in leading a seven-year alien smuggling operation. In September 2020, defendant Joseph Price was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to sex trafficking a 15-year-old minor.”
Marisa Ugarte, Executive Director of the Bilateral Safety Corridor Coalition, congratulates the U.S. Attorney General’s office for its outstanding efforts in combating this horrendous crime. “It’s a victory but more work needs to be done. This challenge we face is a relentless evil,” she says.
– JW August, Communications Director
