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Oakland Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Sex Trafficking Crimes – Department of Justice

PITTSBURGH – A former resident of Alabama, who was living in Pittsburgh at the time of the offenses, has been sentenced in federal court to 15 years' imprisonment on his conviction of crimes, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.

United States District Judge Christy Criswell Wiegand imposed the sentence on Anthony Juskowich, 23, who resided in Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood.

According to information presented to the court, Juskowich had been the victim, Jane Doe, since December of 2019, when the two met in Alabama. After a few failed attempts at expanding his sex trafficking business in Alabama and Georgia, Juskowich convinced Jane Doe, who had never traveled outside of the south, to travel with him to Pittsburgh. Once in Pittsburgh, the Court was informed that Juskowich coerced and forced Jane Doe to engage in commercial sex acts based upon the false promise of making enough money to go legitimate someday by purchasing and running a fast-food franchise. Additionally, Juskowich used force, threats of force, fraud and coercion to compel Jane Doe to meet sex customers. While Jane Doe initially tried to resist, to maintain some form of control over her life, Juskowich's control, manipulation, demands, and intimidation wore down her resistance.

On May 14, 2021, investigators, after conducting an undercover operation, disrupted Juskowich's crimes and arrested him, which enabled Jane Doe to be physically separated from Juskowich. Even so, Juskowich continued to exercise control over Jane Doe, even from jail.

Assistant United States Attorney Rebecca L. Silinski prosecuted this case on behalf of the government and conveyed to the Court, at sentencing, that human trafficking is more than a crime, it is an affront to human dignity and an attack on fundamental humanitarian values. There are no words to adequately describe the experience of a victim of any form of sexual abuse, particularly a victim of sex trafficking. The impact on a victim, including Jane Doe, is not merely physical, it affects one emotionally and psychologically in ways that most cannot begin to understand.

United States Attorney Chung commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as well as the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police Narcotics Division and the Moon Township Police Department for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Juskowich.

This prosecution is part of Operation T.E.N. (Trafficking Ends Now), the United States Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania's coalition to end human trafficking. Operation T.E.N. serves as an umbrella coalition for , community and non-profit partners in the 25 counties in the Western District of Pennsylvania. Through this initiative, the US Attorney's Office is proactively working with local, state and federal law enforcement, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations, to identify and prosecute human traffickers and to empower victims to become thriving survivors. This coordinated effort aims to end human trafficking through education, training and improved cooperation, resulting in the successful prosecution of individuals like Juskowich.

 

This “Eyes on Trafficking” story is reprinted from its original location.

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EYES ON TRAFFICKING

This “Eyes on Trafficking” story is reprinted from its original online location.

ABOUT PBJ LEARNING

PBJ Learning is a leading provider of online human trafficking training, focusing on awareness and prevention education. Their interactive Human Trafficking Essentials online course is used worldwide to educate professionals and individuals how to recognize human trafficking and how to respond to potential victims. Learn on any web browser (even your mobile phone) at any time.

More stories like this can be found in your PBJ Learning Knowledge Vault.