in the suburbs of orlando, florida, and all across america, the business of sex for sale is ruining young lives. >> i've heard a lot of people say that prostitution is a victimless crime, but it's not a victimless crime. if it was your daughter there, you would not be saying it's a victimless crime. >> girls and young women trapped in a world of despair and degradation. >> this is not some consenting adult having sex with another consenting adult for compensation. she's property. she's property to be bartered with, to be sold.

>> tonight, msnbc returns to the sunshine state and goes under cover with the polk county human trafficking task force. >> we're not here just to put people in jail. we're here to rescue people who need to be rescued. >> i just don't want this to ruin my life. >> it doesn't have to ruin your life. the only person that can change that is you. >> what do you want people to know about young women who are selling themselves? >> we are not all whores. there's people out there that really need help and there's really just nowhere else to go. it's a friday afternoon on the outskirts of orlando, florida, and payday is a red letter day for people in the business of sex for sale.

>> i'm looking for a little room service. can you come tonight? >> investigators from the polk county sheriff's office are set up in a hotel conducting a human trafficking sting. male undercovers browse internet looking for sex ads on websites like backpage and booking dates with women. >> all right, you've got your girlfriend with you, right? >> yeah, i'd really like to meet you. >> meanwhile, female undercovers create phony sex ads and upload them to backpage in an effort to lure unsuspecting johns into the sting. >> it says sexy halle is here and ready to make all of your fantasies come true. well, for 30 minutes, i usually charge $100. >> call volume is high tonight as would-be johns are flush with cash and looking to kick off the weekend with a woman for hire. >> all right, i'll see you in a little bit. you have a lot of people who are maybe going home from work and instead of going home to their families, they're calling escorts and wanting to pay to have sex.

>> there is a world out here that the normal world just doesn't understand. >> operations like these are essential to polk county sheriff brady judd and his zero tolerance policy for vice in his jurisdiction. he wants those who may see prostitution as a victimless crime to take a deeper, harder look. >> this is not some consenting adult having sex with another consenting adult for compensation. she's property. she's property to be bartered with, to be sold. >> and for every seller of sex, there's a buyer. while other jurisdictions may be more lenient on johns, men who try to buy sex here are in for a rude awakening. >> welcome to polk county. this is what we do with folks who violate the law in the county. we hook them up, take them to jail. if you come to this county and try to obtain the services of a

prostitute, you're going to get the full effect and force of the law. >> another one bites the dust. >> definitely something up with this guy. he's a little weird. >> outside the sting hotel, sheriff's investigators keep eyes on all who come and go. >> hey, you guys got a white male walking in the door, looks like a light blue dress shirt, dark slacks. >> shortly after 4:00 p.m., they got their first. the man heads up to the undercover room, unaware that every move is being recorded by polk county sheriff's investigators. >> hi, how are you? >> how are you doing? >> the would-be john is so excited to party with the undercovers that he breaks into a spontaneous dance. >> yeah, let's get started! >> i know you guys probably have something to do, so -- >> hey, that's right. will you just take a look outside, just to make sure -- >> absolutely. is that what we talked about? >> yep. >> as soon as happy feet hands over $300 in exchange for the

promise of sex, arresting officers move in and shut down the disco. >> we're going to put him up front, unless he's causing problems. you don't have anything illegal, do you? >> no. >> no guns, weapons, narcotics? >> no. >> 48-year-old stephen sheridan is a certified public accountant from orlando. his arrest offers evidence that the buyers of sex come from all walks of life. even for this buttoned down businessman, it's just a short hop from spreadsheets to bed sheets. >> waiting for the next victim, huh? >> mr. sheridan is shuttled across the hallway for processing. he is unusually calm and candid for a john under arrest. he does not deny his intent to buy sex today and tells police this is not his first rodeo. >> you've done this before? >> yes. >> where at? >> sheridan jokes with police about renewing his driver's

license, as if this arrest is just an amusing event. but the next john in line will find his own arrest to be anything but funny. >> oh, no. >> hey. let me see your hands. >> get over here. >> hey! >> why don't we move you to the bed. bend over. >> 40-year-old steven dennis is a british citizen living and working in florida on a visa. >> life as they know it when they are arrested and walk through that door, life as they know it changes. and in a split second, they see it all going away in front of their eyes. >> take a deep breath. take a deep breath. >> come on, man. come on. >> take a deep breath. >> hey, it's not that big of a deal. >> it is. it is. i'm not going to make it. i'm telling you now. this is wrong. >> not going to make what? >> i come up for a massage. i texted the lady earlier. i'm sorry. she texted me back. and this is not the lady i spoke to. >> listen to me. you're going to go across the hall and talk to somebody. you'll have to relax and go through the process right now,

okay? >> hey, buddy, you're going to be okay. >> i'm not. >> yes, you are. >> i promise you are. >> you don't understand. >> sir -- >> follow this individual right here. >> the englishman is hustled across the hallway for processing, and it quickly becomes evident that he's terrified of being deported. >> you don't understand. i lose everything. i'll have to go back home. my wife i'll lose, my children, everything, my grandson. please. can i explain? if you look at my text phone, this isn't what i came here for. >> listen. >> no, but listen, please. >> what did you come here for? >> a massage. i spoke to a lady that was 49 years age. she said she would text me at 4:00. and then another lady phoned me and said, you still on for 4:00? this lady phoned me. this lady phoned me. >> okay. >> as soon as i walked in, i thought this isn't right. >> did you give her any money? >> feeling right or not, mr. dennis did give the undercover $150 in exchange for the promise of sexual intercourse.

>> is there any circumstances you can cut me a break? >> no, there's not. >> you really want me to be deported for one stupid mistake? >> actually, this is not the englishman's first mistake. mr. dennis pleaded guilty to another prostitution charge in 2008. >> are you under a doctor's care for anything? feel like hurting yourself today? no kidding. no jokes. >> this individual was extremely upset and asked him if he was suicidal and he said yes. you're suicidal? you feel like jumping out the window? he's got to go. >> the processing room is no place to joke about suicide. >> you realize they're going to put you in a straight jacket for three days? >> mr. dennis's remark about jumping out the window has just extended his ordeal with a mandatory detour for psychiatric evaluation. >> at that point in time when they make statements like that, we have no choice. he's in our custody. there are responsibility, and at that point, we have to ensure his safety. >> i understand. >> we don't know if you meant it or not. >> i understand.

>> and i told you on the front end, don't joke, don't exaggerate. >> stephen dennis came to polk county looking to buy a woman. instead, he is on his way to a psych ward in the county jail. sheriff judd wants other would-be johns to know that the same fate could easily befall them. >> and quite frankly, maybe for every john i embarrass, i scare off 100 more, at least in this county. [ knocking ] >> how did you get started doing this? i mean, who introduced you to doing it? >> an ex-girlfriend. i used to strip. >> why do you continue to do it? >> i don't know. it's just i'm a little reluctant to try new things. what's wrong with trying new things? feel that in your muscles? yeah... i do... try a new way to bank, where no branches equals great rates.

ok, if you're up there, i coulsmart sarah.elp. seeking guidance. just like with your investments. that sets you apart. it does? it does. you're type e*. and seeking another perspective is what type e*s do. oh, and your next handhold... is there. you don't have to go it alone. e*trade gives you the support and guidance to make informed decisions. are you type e*?

why do i cook for the to share with family to carry on traditions to come together, even when we're apart in stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, and more, swanson® makes holiday dishes delicious! so ally bank really has no hidden fethat's right. accounts? it's just that i'm worried about you know "hidden things..." ok, why's that? no hidden fees,

it happens every day in america. >> we usually get the money up front. >> absolutely.

>> legions of men across the county are laying down cold, hard cash for sex. >> thank you. >> is that what we talked about? >> yep. >> most of the time, they don't get caught, but today, the polk county sheriff's office is conducting a human trafficking sting. >> sometimes the johns are these clean-cut people and have no idea they're walking into a potential den of criminals that will not only take their money but take their life. >> all right, sir, you're going to stand up and you're going to follow the detective out this door. >> okay. >> in fact, most men who are caught buying sex profess little regard for the hazards of prostitution. >> how's this going to affect your employment, do you know? >> let's hope for the best. >> 48-year-old stephen sheridan is by all outward appearances an upstanding, middle-class american. he's also a repeat customer in the sex for sale game. >> you seem like a very educated

person. why are you doing this? >> that's a really good question. >> you've got to know that this is the risk you take. >> sheridan agrees to speak with our producer, grace kahng. >> are you married? >> no, divorced. >> divorced. okay. >> two weeks ago. >> are you serious? >> yeah. >> he admits to buying women for sex before without giving it much thought. >> so, i think the men who -- men like you who buy sex in america need to kind of have a deeper appreciation for what kind of industry you're propping up. i always say to men, do you really think that women want to make a living this way? you know, i always say that, because i think that men just don't think about it. >> i can't imagine it. >> it's tough to think about, when you really think about who these women are. you're going to meet a few in here. >> it will be a few hours before transport to jail. in the meantime, mr. sheridan will have a front-row seat for the sorted spectacle of human suffering that is america's underground sex trade.

>> one chick coming in 45 minutes is bringing a friend also at $200 apiece. >> this male undercover is in contact with a woman who offers to bring a friend for what is known as a two-girl show. [ knocking ] shortly after 5:00 p.m., they arrive. >> hello! how are you? >> what are you doing in orlando? >> i'm here for one night. >> making deals can sometimes be awkward. the undercover asks about price, but the women are wary and reluctant to discuss specifics. so, he must wait until they signal their intent to perform a sexual service. >> get comfortable and that would make me more comfortable. >> we need you to get comfortable. >> yeah. >> what do you want me to do? >> take your clothes off. >> go ahead. go ahead. >> stand up, please. you don't have anything on you? >> no. >> hey, are we doing it in front or -- >> in front, unless they're giving us problems. >> the women in custody are

34-year-old shauna and 26-year-old lindsey, both from orlando. >> how many times have you been arrested for this? >> this is my second time. >> i've never been arrested for it. >> this is your second time ever getting arrested or for the same thing? >> ever getting arrested for the same thing. >> we didn't take any money or get arrested for taking money. >> everything you did, everything you said is all recorded. >> i know. >> so, did you ask him to take his clothes off? >> both ladies asked the undercover to get naked. and according to florida criminal code, that is soliciting a lewd act. furthermore, the undercover worked out a price of $400 with shauna on the phone prior to their arrival. >> how did you get started doing this? i mean, who introduced you to doing it? >> an ex-girlfriend. i used to strip. >> why do you continue to do it? >> i don't know. >> is it good money? honestly. >> no, not really. >> are you unable to find another job? >> i work at red lobster.

>> oh, so you do have a job? >> mm-hmm. >> you just need extra money? >> i just had a baby. >> so many people live in a world that they don't see what really goes on. they want to believe this kind of stuff doesn't happen every day, but it does, to all kinds of girls out there, from all different walks of life. >> you don't ever get nervous that something could happen to you? >> occasionally. i don't go out a lot. >> i found that once these girls get involved in it, they almost feel like there is no way out. >> the women are placed in the holding room to await transfer to jail. it's an opportunity for mr. sheridan to hear some facts of life not uncommon to women working in the sex trade. lindsey even tells our producer she is a fan of the "sex slaves" series. >> well, if you watch the show, my god, then why would you do this? is somebody making you do it? >> no, no. >> seriously? >> yeah. [ inaudible ]

>> how rough are they? >> rough. >> a couple bad things happened to me before i turned 18 that kind of turned me into -- >> did somebody rape you? >> yeah. it's, it's -- >> an older man? >> yeah, he was one of my favorite uncles. >> oh, my god, so that must have been tough for your dad. did you tell your dad? >> oh, yeah. i don't know what happened to my uncle. >> you don't know what happened to him? what do you mean? >> i never heard from him again. >> you know it's not your fault, right? >> yeah, i know. >> you didn't deserve that. nobody deserves that. >> horror stories like lindsey's are all too common in the underground sex trade. experts say some 90% to 95% of women in the life were victims of incest and child rape. >> some of these young ladies, they have been sexually abused all their life. so, when we come in, saying you don't have to live like this, there's a better way and that we want to help you, they look at us like we're from mars.

>> this man's attitudes about buying sex may or may not change today, but his time in custody has afforded him a rare glimpse at the real face of prostitution and the pain that lives behind the fake smiles of the women who service him. >> i've done nothing! i came up here -- >> i am here to detain you. the people that can answer questions will answer them over there. through everything together. two boyfriends. three jobs. you're like "nothing can replace brad!" then liberty mutual calls. and you break into your happy dance. if you sign up for better car replacement, we'll pay for a car that's a model year newer with 15,000 fewer miles than your old one. see car insurance in a whole new light. liberty mutual insurance.

and you want to get an mba. but going back to school is hard. because you work. now capella university offers a revolutionary new way to get your degree. it's called flexpath, and it's the most direct path, leveraging what you've learned on the job and focusing on what you need to know. so you can get a degree at your pace and graduate at the speed of you. flexpath from capella university. learn about all of our programs at capella.edu.

then you'll know how uncomfortable it can be. but did you know that the lack of saliva can also lead to tooth decay and bad breath? well, there is biotene, specially formulated with moisturizers and lubricants... biotene can provide soothing relief and it helps keep your mouth healthy too. biotene, for people who suffer from a dry mouth.

it's a friday afternoon and investigators for the polk county sheriff's office are set up under cover in a hotel conducting a human trafficking sting. >> all right, she's coming up to the front door. long hair. >> this woman goes by the name autumn storm. >> and she's coming inside, she'll be entering the lobby in a second. >> she engages the undercover in some preliminary small talk, then retreats to the bathroom to slip into something a little more comfortable. while offering the undercover this preview of the merchandise, autumn storm agrees to $400 in

exchange for 90 minutes of sex. >> she said she won't do anal at all. >> she won't do anal. >> arresting officers move in and take her into custody. >> are you serious? what? >> you're not going to cause a problem. >> no. >> 42-year-old kimberly is a divorced mother from the nearby town of winter haven, florida. billed in her online ad as a cougar, she reacts to her first arrest with a growl. >> i've done nothing! i'm here to meet -- >> you're going to jail. >> i've never been arrested because i'm not doing anything wrong. >> there's a first time for everything. >> okay, so then maybe somebody should explain to me what's going on. >> you offered to give somebody sex and oral sex for $400. that's what you did wrong. >> no, i didn't! >> okay, well, you can tell that to the judge. >> okay. >> among her affects, police found a dozen condoms and a stun gun for self-defense. >> i take that on dates. >> you take it on dates?

>> testimony to the very real dangers that lurk in the underground sex trade. >> i'm not a prostitute. i'm on sugar daddy, i'm on -- oh, my god, i'm on a lot of sites with -- >> believe me, i know from -- >> -- guys who are married and want to hook up and hang out, go to dinner. >> despite her arrangement with the undercover, kimberly bristles at the suggestion that she's selling sex for money. >> i'm on a blind date. >> yeah, you sure are. >> you're on a date with us. >> and yeah, i give out a false name to guys that i don't know for the first time. especially when i've got a boyfriend. >> and you're on a blind date? [ laughter ] >> what man doesn't cheat? >> me and my wife. >> oh, i've heard that before. >> go ahead, bring him up here. >> almost as if on cue, police apprehend kimberly's so-called boyfriend in the parking lot and march him upstairs to a processing room. >> how old are you?

>> 42. excuse me, 26. she's 42. >> at the time of his arrest, greg has a handgun in his waistband, which is perfectly legal with a concealed permit. >> you have the right to remain silent. >> he tells police he's working in a pawn shop, going through a divorce and living in his mother's house. >> i just recently split up with my wife, and she split up and we just kind of got together. >> so, you're not even divorced from your wife. >> no, not yet. >> while kimberly maintains that she's stepping out on him for a blind date, he tells police a completely different story. >> look, we swing. we swing with other partners and she just wanted to go on a date, so she tells me -- >> he tells police that kim is a swinger, but he says he has no idea that he is an escort. >> how long has she been escorting, that you know of? >> i did not know that. >> greg --

>> two years together -- >> greg, come on. >> i pay all the bills. we have no money. i did not know she was doing this. >> this fella here, his girlfriend of several months, he drove her here to the location for her to engage in sex with a guy or girl. she didn't explain to him. >> i just thought she was going to hook up, just wanted to hook up with someone. >> until tonight, you thought she just had a date, you were supposed to drop her off and come back? >> yeah, told me to come back and pick her up in a little while. i said okay. >> and you don't have a problem with that? >> no, we're promiscuous. >> okay. >> since he claims to be in the dark, detectives take a moment to enlighten him with the online adventures of autumn storm. >> hello, gentlemen, my name's autumn storm. i'm a rare breed, born and raised right here. now a very private incall. >> wow. >> here is greg's shocked face. it's the one he wears when he discovers his so-called girlfriend is selling sex

online. >> who took them pictures? where are they taken at, your house? is that at your house? >> he refuses any photo credit and appears even more shocked when he learns how much kim is charging for her services. >> overnight $5,000, 12 hours, $5,000. if you want 12 hours -- >> wow. >> $5,500. what's your response? >> totally disgusted. >> you had no idea. >> no. >> so, you know about her being a swinger, but you're disgusted by her -- >> hey, i'm a swinger. you know, i'm a swinger. >> okay, anything happens from this day forward, you are made away now. so, you can't claim ignorance anymore. >> kimberly, you're here because it's a misunderstanding? >> yeah, total misunderstanding. >> meanwhile, in the other room, nobody's told kimberly that greg has flipped the script and cast

her as a swinger, so she's still running the old lines from her original story. >> kimberly, is your boyfriend going to be upset? >> i don't think he'd be happy, b but, people do things. we all make stupid mistakes about going behind our boyfriend's, girlfriend's backs. >> yeah? >> nobody's perfect! >> swingers or not, kimberly and greg's flimsy charade is evidence of the sort of nonsense that vice detectives encounter every day on the job. getting the straight story from pimps and the women they control can often seem like an impossible task, but it's a task that polk county sheriff's investigators will not avoid, and soon, their efforts will pay off. >> we're not here just to put people in jail. we're here to rescue people that need to be rescued. >> i just don't want this to ruin my life.

>> it doesn't have. it doesn't have to ruin your life. you know the only person that can change that is you. (man) when i can't go, it's like rocks piling up. i wish i could find some relief. (announcer) ask your doctor about linzess-- a once-daily capsule for adults with ibs with constipation or chronic idiopathic constipation. linzess is thought to help calm pain-sensing nerves and accelerate bowel movements. it helps you proactively manage your symptoms. do not give linzess to children under 6, and it should not be given to children 6 to 17. it may harm them. don't take linzess if you have a bowel blockage. get immediate help if you develop unusual or severe stomach pain especially with bloody or black stools. the most common side effect is diarrhea, sometimes severe. if it's severe, stop taking linzess and call your doctor right away. other side effects include, gas, stomach-area pain and swelling. bottom line, ask your doctor about linzess today.

i found a better deal on prescriptions. we found lower co-pays... ...and a free wellness visit. new plan...same doctor. i'm happy. it's medicare open enrollment. have you compared plans yet? it's easy at medicare.gov. or you can call 1-800-medicare. medicare open enrollment. you'll never know unless you go. i did it. you can too. ♪

hi, i'm richard lui with your hour's top stories. starting tomorrow, the u.s. will begin ebola screenings for airline passengers whose trips started in mali. there have been a number of recent ebola cases in that country. more than 170 passengers and crew on the "crown princess" cruise ship have contracted norovirus. that ship is docked in l.a. after a month-long trip. it's undergoing an extensive deep cleaning. this is the second norovirus outbreak on "the crown princess" this year. now back to "msnbc undercover." spend some time with polk county's human trafficking task force, and you'll see a lot of arrests for prostitution and pandering. but the purpose behind all this effort is much greater than just numbers on a tote board. >> we're not here just to put

people in jail. we're here to rescue people that need to be rescued. we want to help. that's why we do this. >> the reality is that most women arrested in stings like these will not ask for help. most are under the heel of a pimp. many are addicted to drugs. and some simply see no other way to put food on the table. >> i can't worry about the hundred that won't let me help them. i can just rejoice in the one that will let us help them, and our deputies go out every day looking for these folks to pull them out of that environment. >> i've got a couple of girls that are showing interest, but we'll see. >> this male undercover is in contact with a very young-looking female. her ad says she's 20, but he suspects she may be a juvenile. after some negotiation by text, she finally agrees to an out

call and arrives at the hotel shortly before 9:30. >> are you going to come? >> you said 9:30. >> okay. >> no anal. >> no anal? >> a price of $340 is agreed upon for half an hour of sex. >> are you good? >> yeah. >> okay. >> as soon as the money changes hands, sheriff's deputies move in and make the arrest. >> you don't have anything -- >> no. >> okay. >> the woman in custody is 21-year-old stephanie. she is quiet and cooperative, but investigators quickly get a sense of her personal distress. >> have you ever been arrested before for prostitution? >> no, sir. >> where's your mom and dad? >> my dad i haven't talked to in i can't even tell you how long. and my mom, it's probably been about a year. she's really sick. >> a tattoo on stephanie's back

offers detectives insight on her troubled family history. >> it says colesta, c-o-l-e-s-t-a. >> i knew from the name of it, because it's kind of an old-school kind of name that it was either a mom or a grandma. >> is that a grandma? >> it's my mom. >> when? >> a lot. >> people put tattoos on their backs for a couple of reasons. one is there's something to hide and another reason is there's a little bit of shame attached. >> i haven't been the best daughter. i kind of just -- i was starting to cause a lot of problems. [ inaudible ] >> wow, you can read people very well. i just don't feel like i'm good enough for them. >> outside the hotel, police detain the man who delivered stephanie to the date and bring him up to the processing room. 25-year-old simon hudson is just a friend, according to stephanie, but police are understandably suspicious he may be her pimp.

>> were you going to give him any money tonight? >> no. i don't pay him any cash. >> i mean, obviously, he knows what you're doing up here. he didn't try to convince you not to do it? >> he told me that i shouldn't be doing it, but you know, i make my own decisions. >> right. >> stephanie is moved to another room and given the opportunity to meet with a social worker. meanwhile, detectives turn their attention to simon. >> all right, what are you doing here? >> she asked me for a ride and i came down here -- >> what were you giving her a ride for? >> i mean, she said she had a date and stuff. i mean, it wasn't a date meaning what -- i mean, that means usually she's coming down to see somebody. >> is she a prostitute? >> yeah, i mean, it's never been said like that, but that's what i'm assuming. >> were you there just to give her a ride? >> yeah. >> how much money were you getting for giving her a ride? >> she hadn't told me yet. it was going to be discussed when we got home. >> but you were getting some

money for driver? you weren't doing it for nothing. >> yeah, for driving her. >> despite efforts by stephanie to protect him, he's just got a felony charge on top of a prior conviction for cultivating marijuana. >> she claimed that he was best friends with this girl who he brought up here and he was helping her out by bringing her up here to make money, but at the same time, he's expecting to be paid for his services of bringing her up here. >> not like something i was planning on doing. it was just, she doesn't have a license and she needed -- >> have you ever thought about convincing her to do something else? >> i've tried, i mean -- >> what do you mean tried? giving her a ride a few times and getting 10 to 50 bucks, that's taking advantage of the situation. >> i scanned i am getting something out of this -- >> the problem is, you don't understand that what you're doing is really wrong. >> i understand what i'm doing is wrong, but i just -- i mean, everything's going through now, and it's already through, so i'd rather i just have a conversation with you. but why is it that you're

feeling like this? i mean, why are you saying that i am the problem for this? i don't feel like that i am the one that has done anything to force anybody into anything. >> you're encouraging her to do it. >> i am not encouraging her. i have done everything to ask her not to do it. >> other than not take money from -- >> no, we have to survive. i don't understand why you're judging me like that. >> drops her off at a hotel to meet a complete stranger and then goes and waits down the road for her to call. >> i mean, i understand. i mean, i totally get where you're coming from. what i'm doing is not an awesome thing, but it's not like i'm -- i'm not this girl's pimp, you know what i'm saying? i don't have anything to do with it. this aspect has got nothing to do with me. she asked me for a ride, i give her a ride. >> simon's actions tonight are a huge blunder. >> no, no, i already see this is going to not be awesome. >> his arrest violates the terms of his probation. he's sent to county jail to await a hearing. >> simon. let's go. over here.

>> what do you want people to know about young women who are selling themselves? >> we're not all whores. there's people out there that really need help. and there really is nowhere else to go. will you help us find a new house for you and your brother?

♪ ♪ ♪ woooooah. ♪ [ male announcer ] you're not just looking for a house. you're looking for a place for your life to happen. zillow. and you want to get an mba. but going back to school is hard. because you work. now capella university offers a revolutionary new way to get your degree. it's called flexpath, and it's the most direct path, leveraging what you've learned on the job

and focusing on what you need to know. so you can get a degree at your pace and graduate at the speed of you. flexpath from capella university. learn about all of our programs at capella.edu. who would have thought masterthree cheese lasagna would go with chocolate cake and ceviche? the same guy who thought that small caps and bond funds would go with a merging markets. it's a masterpiece. thanks. clearly you are type e. you made it phil. welcome home. now what's our strategy with the fondue? diversifying your portfolio? e*trade gives you the tools and resources to get it right. are you type e*? you can't breathe through your nose, suddenly, you're a mouth breather. a mouth breather! well, put on a breathe right strip and shut your mouth. cold medicines open your nose over time, but add a breathe right strip and pow, it opens your nose up to 38% more. so you can breathe and do the one thing you want to do,

sleep. add breathe right to your cold medicine shut your mouth and sleep right. breathe right. and look for the calming scent of new breathe right lavender, in the sleep aisle. it's a friday night in polk county, florida, and 21-year-old stephanie is under arrest for prostitution. >> have you ever been arrested before for prostitution? >> no, sir. >> where's your mom and dad? >> my dad i haven't talked to in i can't even tell you how long, and my mom, it's probably been about a year. she's really sick. >> almost immediately, arresting officers sense her despair and vulnerability.

>> you think this is the best thing for you to be doing? >> absolutely not. >> i've heard a lot of people say that prostitution is a victimless crime and that it should even be legalized, but my response to that is that you didn't sit in an interview with me. >> i lost all my family because of this. >> you need to watch these girls and watch the amount of emotions that they go through in a matter of five or ten minutes when i'm speaking with them. it's not a victimless crime. if it was your daughter there, you would not be saying it's a victimless crime. >> i just don't want this to ruin my life. >> it doesn't have to. it doesn't have to ruin your life. you know the only person who can change that is you. i tell these girls that when they're arrested, it's a blessing that you were arrested tonight, because hopefully, this will change. >> stephanie, this is a dangerous thing that you're doing. you're too good for this, you know that? >> stephanie tells our producer,

grace kahng, that she had recently been living in her car and selling sex periodically to pay for food and gasoline. >> did somebody get you back into the game, then, or did you just feel like you had no choice? >> i had no choice. >> where were you living? >> my car. >> you were homeless? >> mm-hmm. >> how did you get involved with selling yourself? >> somebody introduced me to it. >> who, simon? >> no. >> at the time of her arrest, stephanie was traveling in the company of a man named simon hudson. >> she asked me for a ride, i give her a ride. >> hudson was charged with deriving proceeds from prostitution after admitting he drives stephanie to dates in exchange for money. >> do you know what human trafficking is? >> yeah, i understand what it is. >> but hudson insists that he is not stephanie's pimp. he claims that he is actually her best friend. >> i just don't like the fact that these people are making it out to seem like i'm some kind of individual that's forcing somebody, you know.

i'm not forcing anybody. she doesn't have a license and she asked me to drive her here, you know what i'm saying? i'm not going to sit here and make these people seem like i'm something of a human trafficker like that. that's not what i'm doing. >> is she living with you now? >> yeah. >> how long's she been living with you? >> maybe six months, maybe? >> was she homeless when she met you? >> mm-hmm. she was not homeless. she lived out of her car kind of. and i told her that that wasn't okay and that i didn't want her to be out on the streets like that, and she could sleep in my bed. i slept in the living room for a long time. >> so, now where are you sleeping? >> in the living room. she stays in my room. i can't force her not to do something, and i felt like i was helping her more than any other means that i had by at least making sure that she had somebody and she wasn't alone.

i felt like at least making sure she wasn't by herself was at least better than nothing. >> after hearing hundreds of similar stories from pimps and traffickers, experienced investigators are unmoved by simon's good samaritan pitch. he is shuttled off to the county jail, where he will now face a pimping charge on top of a probation violation for a prior marijuana conviction. but stephanie insists that there is more to the story and that simon is not really what he seems. >> he's not a pimp. i never gave him money. my license was suspended, and like i said, i asked him to take me somewhere and he took me. that was the extent of it. >> i mean, you've lived through this now. >> a few months after her arrest, stephanie was in the midst of a remarkable transformation. she agreed to sit down with our cameras and tell us more about herself and her time in the underground sex trade. >> you had a hard, hard number of years. i mean, i don't think there's ever been a time when your life wasn't hard. >> i couldn't remember.

if it was, it was probably before i was 8. >> like the vast majority of women working in the sex trade, stephanie was a victim of child sexual abuse. she says she was raped by her stepfather at the age of 8. >> it's hard. it's not like you wake up every day with the thought in big, red letters, you know, i was molested, i was raped when i was a kid. but it's just -- it's always here. >> on top of recurring sexual abuse, stephanie says there was also physical and psychological abuse that prevented her from telling anyone about her predicament. >> i was really scared, like if i did something wrong, like he would punish me, like spank me. he hit my mom. he would throw things at my mom, too. it just wasn't a good marriage. and then, i don't know, i guess i felt like if i did more on top of this, what's he going to do to my mom? what's he going to do to me?

and at 8, it's really hard to weigh it out. >> it's just hard to believe. of course, no mother wants to hear that. no mother ever wants to hear that that's happened to their child. where was i? what was i doing? how could think happened right under my nose and i knew nothing about it? >> i want to say that your kids want to come home. whatever happened in the past, fix whatever it is and get your kids back home. ant to try new t. ant to try new t. what's wrong with trying new things? feel that in your muscles? yeah... i do... try a new way to bank, where no branches equals great rates.

boy: once upon a time, there was a nice house that lived with a family. one day, it started to rain. the house tried to keep out all the water, but water got inside and ruined everybody's everythings. the house thought she let the family down. they just didn't think it could happen. they told the house they would take better care of her...

always. announcer: protect what matters. get flood insurance. so ally bank really has no hidden fethat's right. accounts? it's just that i'm worried about you know "hidden things..." ok, why's that? no hidden fees,

it's a friday night at the polk county jail. the paddy wagon delivering men and women arrested in a human trafficking sting. among those on board is stephanie, a 20-year-old tampa native whose role in sexual servitude since she was a child. >> it seems like i've been an object of lust my whole life. >> stephanie carries the psychological scars of sexual

abuse. at the tender age of eight, she said she was raped by her stepfather. >> for a while i couldn't stand to look at myself. i'd try to be a tomboy, the complete opposite of a girl. they called me stephen when i was little just because i tried so much not to be a little girl because i was getting touched and molested and stuff. so if i'm a little boy playing in dirt and worms and stuff, maybe they will leave me alone. it never worked that way. >> that time in my life was never a stable time. there was turmoil. >> stephanie's mother struggled as a single parent after divorcing from stephanie's biological father. she remarried when stephanie was seven but suffered from physical and psychological abuse with her second husband. >> there was fighting and

arguing an unhappiness with the relationship. that stems into the child's happiness as well. they don't like to see their mom or their parent in turmoil or unhappy or sad. >> stephanie said her unhappiness ran much deeper than her mother could ever have imagined. like many victims of child sexual abuse, young stephanie never breathed a word to anyone, not even her biological father. she was terrified of violent retribution from her stepfather. >> he would spank me so bad sometimes that my mom couldn't send me to my dad's that weekend. i was very scared. i couldn't go see my dad for two weeks at one point because i had hand prints from him whipping me so bad.

>> it was only after the second marriage ended in divorce that colesta finally learned the truth from her daughter. >> your immediate is your shocked, surprised. how could that have happened right under my nose and i knew nothing about it. >> did you ever confront the man? >> did i confront him? yeah. i talked to him. he denied it and said it never happened. >> and there was an investigation? >> uh-huh. >> stephanie's claims prompted an investigation by local authorities, but it was too little too late. there was no evidence and no case to be made. >> because i guess too many years had gone by. they didn't have evidence. they didn't have proof. >> nevertheless, colesta says she believes her daughter and has great remorse for her inability to protect her. >> that's hard for me to deal with. i feel guilty. if i had given my child a better life, or i had a better education myself, or if i could

have done better things, you know, i feel like i could have somehow prevented that. >> so you have guilt? >> oh, yeah, lots of guilt. lots of guilt. >> at 17, stephanie dropped out of school and left home. she got a job at a restaurant and eventually fell in love with a co-worker who invited her to live with him. that relationship soon took an all too familiar turn towards violence. >> vile en. >> yeah. he ended up hitting me. we got into an argument. i ended up in the same week with two black eyes and arm in a sling. popped my shoulder out of place. seeing everything that happened to my mom, it was better to live in my car than keep walking around with black eyes. >> unwilling to stick around for abuse and feeling estranged from her mother, stephanie fell in with some girlfriends who eventually introduced her to the idea of selling sex online.

>> i don't want to say it wasn't a big deal, but it's like because i've had it happen to me before, i just disconnect myself. i don't know if that makes sense. i'm there but i'm not there, because i used to have to do it all the time. >> because of the constant abuse in your house when you were just 8, this is not something that just happened once? >> no. >> it was a regular occurrence? >> yes. >> so you already had a coping mechanism for that? >> yes. i don't like what i did, you know, but i did it. it's what i had to do at the time. got to survive, got to eat. you've got to keep on going. >> so it was that stephanie came to be arrested by polk county sheriff investigators in the spring of 2013. >> do you know what human trafficking is? >> yeah, i understand what it is.

>> her companion 25-year-old simon hudson eventually pleaded guilty to deriving proceeds from prostitution. stephanie claims simon is unfortunate victim of a misunderstanding. >> in no way, shape or form is he exploiting you? >> no, never. he found out i was homeless and was living in my car and he said this is ridiculous. you can come and stay with me. i hadn't slept in a bed in so long. gave me his room. i simon showed me a lot of kindness. >> when we sat down with stephanie, by then she had stopped selling sex and her friendship with simon had grown deeper. shortly after our interview, simon was back in the county jail for another probation violation. this time exceeding his 10:00 p.m. curfew. nonetheless, stephanie maintains loyal.

>> he makes me want to be better, because he is constantly reminding me how good of a person he thinks i am. >> what do you want people to know about young women who are selling themselves? >> we're not all whores. we're not all trying to get a drug fix. there's people out there that really need help and there really is nowhere else to go. >> today stephanie is back at home with her mother colesta working at a restaurant and saving money. stephanie is now hoping for the chance to go to nursing school and put the past behind her. >> you can start over and make a new life for yourself. no, it's not going to be easy but you can do it. >> yes, i did make a mistake. it's okay to make mistakes. i mean, it's inevitable. but after this, somebody might look at me and be like, that girl went through a lot and she's still there.

good for her. go her. >> turnarounds like stephanie's happen every day. they often begin with arrests and legal interventions like those we've seen here in polk county. sheriff grady judd wants the public to know the problem will never go away without the help of ordinary citizens. >> people need to go to their mayor, to the county commissioners, city commissioners, local police chief, local sheriff and say, what are you doing? we're tired of it. we're fed up with it. if we all work together, could we resolve this? we absolutely could. we could never stop it 100%, but we could turn that faucet all the way to where there was just a drip as opposed to it running wide open, which is what's it's doing right now.

♪ >> every year, millions flock to orlando, florida for the sun, family fun and increasingly fantasy sex. >> whatever you can get. because you are hot. >> i'm up for pretty much everything. >> but in polk county, buyer and sellers of sex beware. >> welcome to polk county. you are under arrest. >> where sheriffs police enforce the law. >> the johns, they are the