Manhattan District Attorney

Embattled California Christian college under federal investigation for fraud and labor trafficking
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Embattled California Christian college under federal investigation for fraud and labor trafficking

An Anza-based Christian college with satellite schools across the world has been the target of a three-year federal investigation triggered by a frantic 911 call to Riverside County authorities from a student who claimed she had not been allowed to leave the campus for months. Homeland Security Investigations, a division of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement,…

911 call leads to Olivet University federal money-laundering and human trafficking investigation
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911 call leads to Olivet University federal money-laundering and human trafficking investigation

Diane Sieker photo Early Version story. Olivet University has been contacted directly for comment.  A tense 911 call in March, 2018, from a student who claimed she had not been allowed to leave the Anza Olivet University campus for months, immersed Riverside County investigators in a probe alongside federal authorities, according to a recent news…

What the survivors of human trafficking deserve – New York Daily News
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What the survivors of human trafficking deserve – New York Daily News

In our adversarial legal system, prosecutors and public defenders don’t often see eye to eye. But as the Manhattan district attorney and veteran attorneys for the Legal Aid Society, we agree on this: Survivors of human trafficking should not be criminalized. A 2021 state law gives judges wide discretion to free trafficking survivors from the…

NYC human trafficking victims forced into prostitution, fraud desperately seek a way out of the shadows
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NYC human trafficking victims forced into prostitution, fraud desperately seek a way out of the shadows

What they have in common are tragically similar circumstances that primed them for victimization: They were vulnerable, desperate, and fell under the control and manipulation of human traffickers who …

Olivet Student's Desperate 911 Call Led to Federal Trafficking Probe – Newsweek
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Olivet Student's Desperate 911 Call Led to Federal Trafficking Probe – Newsweek

The federal investigation into Olivet University, an Evangelical Christian school facing multiple investigations, began after a 911 call from a woman who said she was being held prisoner on its campus in Anza, California, in 2018, current and former law enforcement officials said. The investigations that resulted from that 911 call are complicating Olivet’s efforts…

Couple Forced Women Into Prostitution Through Violence, Posted Videos On OnlyFans
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Couple Forced Women Into Prostitution Through Violence, Posted Videos On OnlyFans

A couple has been arrested on Tuesday at a home in Youngstown, both are currently in a New York City jail charged with running a human sex trafficking ring that operated in six states; they even reportedly post content on the website OnlyFans. Jonathan Ruiz, 29, and Charline Santiago, 27, appeared in a Mahoning County…

Charline Santiago, Jonathan Ruiz charged in multi-state sex trafficking ring – CBS New York
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Charline Santiago, Jonathan Ruiz charged in multi-state sex trafficking ring – CBS New York

NEW YORK — Two people are facing charges in a multi-state sex trafficking ring. The Manhattan District Attorney indicted 27-year-old Charline Santiago and 29-year-old Jonathan Ruiz, both from Ohio. Prosecutors say the suspects forced women to engage in sex acts for money. Ruiz allegedly forced at least one woman to produce videos and take photos…

Immunity for sex workers reporting crimes will help trafficking victims
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Immunity for sex workers reporting crimes will help trafficking victims

 Six years ago, Laura Mullen was raped by members of a criminal gang at knifepoint on Long Island. But her fear of being charged for prostitution stopped her from reporting the crime.    Today, she is advocating for legislation that gives sex workers and trafficking victims immunity from prosecution when they report crimes and seek…