tv Sex Slaves Juveniles MSNBC June 7, 2015 7:00pm-8:01pm PDT
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in the shadows of america's playground where children of all ages come to fulfill vacation dreams, some children are trapped in a nightmare of sexual servitude. >> she's here. she's here. >> young women and girls who should be in school bought and sold by men in a market that pays a premium for sex with juveniles. >> they're in psychological chains. they're being bound and pillered with psychological chains. >> put that mp camera in my face! >> tonight, msnbc returned to
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polk county, florida. >> i didn't say nothing. i came here to have a glass of wine. >> where sheriff's investigators go undercover to combat human trafficking. >> did you know that she was 15? >> no. absolutely not. >> and rescue a teenager lost in the wilderness of american sex slavery. >> i just want to go home. >> best-case scenario is when we save people from human trafficking. that is the primary purpose of this entire operation. the city of orlando, florida, is a hot spot for the business of sex for sale.
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pimps and traffickers from all across the country routinely bring their girls and young women here to serve as legions of johns away on business trips or even family vacations. >> is that what we talked about? >> yep. >> >> in polk county, sheriff judd have a firewall against vice. >> sheriff's office. >> oh my god! oh my god! oh my god! oh my god! >> you're going to be okay. >> i'm ruined! >> stand up. >> we don't put up with any nasty business in this community. there's a lot of call services and a lot of people throughout central florida that when you give them an address and they say, oh, that's polk county? we're not coming there. the sheriff and his detectives will lock you up in that county. >> but for every player who knows to stay away from polk county, there are many more who are about to get an education
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from the sheriff and his investigators. >> hey, are you here? >> a male undercover makes contact with a woman who goes by the name summer. shortly before 6:00 p.m., she arrives at the hotel. >> do you know where the hell you're at? you're further than i thought. >> after a little small talk, the undercover attempts to make the deal quickly. >> how much? 40? >> yeah. >> a price of $140 is agreed upon but the service in exchange for the money is not. >> what is it? >> okay. i can start with a light body rub. >> you are a massage therapist? >> i'm not a massage therapist. i offer companionship. >> what does that mean? >> company. >> i want company. >> you are not getting comfortable. >> i'm comfortable. i'm paying you. >> okay. if you're not comfortable, i don't feel comfortable. >> the woman is leary of a set-up. she seems to sniff out the smell of a cop all over this undercover and the deal begins do go sideways.
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>> all right. well, let me get my money back. i want a blowjob or i'll get my money back. >> i'm not comfortable. >> what do you need to be comfortable? >> i don't know. >> the undercover heads to the bathroom and signals he's done all he can with this deal. the woman seizes the opportunity to duck out of the room with the undercover's money. >> the white heavy set white female. she has the money. >> outside, arresting officers intercept her and a man who turns out to be her brother. >> that's my brother. please, my son is in the car. >> kid in the car, too. >> can you call my boyfriend please? >> being detained. okay? >> so what are you doing here? >> she said she was going to see a guy she met on -- i think it's called craigslist or back page. i'm not sure. >> what did she tell you about that? >> she didn't say much.
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she said she's going to give him a message. >> a massage? >> yeah. >> is she a licensed massage therapist? >> no. i ask that all the time. she said she doesn't need one. >> doesn't need one? you do in the state of florida. >> i figured that. >> i'm 10-12 with the brother. do you want him to call the mom to get the kid? >> no. i want the brother, the baby and the heavy set female brought in. >> officers recover a 2-year-old boy from the vehicle and take him to a safe spot in the hotel where they will await a visit from the department of children and family services. >> that is what i was telling you. that bothers me. she brings her 2-year-old. >> the mother in custody is 26-year-old rachel wright from orlando. her brother, 28-year-old ryan wright, is an excon convicted of dealing in stolen property in 2008. >> one coming in. >> did you hear brother says that she turns tricks and makes a habit to haul off with the money so yeah. >> rachel, have you ever been
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arrested before? >> yes. >> for what? >> driving suspended license and prostitution charge. >> rachel tells police she's been in and out of the life since she was a teenager, stopping periodically when her personal safety seemed to be at greater risk. >> so you started when you were 17. >> on and off. i stopped -- i've been on back page for a year and i stopped because it was scary. >> what was scary about it? >> getting hurt. >> you weren't scared to get hurt tonight? >> no. if you do it with white people, no. >> rachel's remark about white people offers the first glimpse at a very unusual set of circumstances involving her life. >> what was the deal tonight? >> for now, however, detectives are simply trying to get her to declare her intentions for coming to the hotel today. >> you've been arrested for prostitution before and had an ad on back page for a year and a half now? i think we both know that what you're doing all right? am i correct in saying that or
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did you come up here to rob him? >> i didn't come up here to rob him. >> either you had the intention to have sex with him or rob the dude. >> i don't want to rob him. i was going to give him my companion and time. >> that's a [ bleep ] a mile long. >> i didn't come up here to rob him. >> faced with a choice of a robbery charge or a prostitution charge, rachel finally admits to the latter. >> was it original sex you were going to have with the guy? >> i don't know what was going to happen. i don't know what we were going to do. i wasn't intending anything. i usually give them a massage and maybe a relief but i wasn't -- >> tell me what a release is. >> wanted to relieve himself. i don't know. >> what do you mean relieve? ejacula ejaculate? >> yeah. i don't do -- >> is what the plan was? >> yeah. >> so in street terms, give the guy a hand job? >> i guess. this is ridiculous.
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>> exactly what is ridiculous? >> this whole situation. >> and whose fault is that? >> apparently it's mine. >> what do you mean apparently it is yours? >> it is my fault. yeah. i can't believe this is happening. hi, cameras since you're in my face. i'm going to talk to you. this is already embarrassing so anybody that's going to do this, don't do it because it's embarrassing. >> rachel insists she operates out the a pimp selling sex as a last resort to feed her child. >> it's not about getting out of the game. it's the money and if jobs were easier to find, it would be a little bit easier. i probably filled out 20,000 applications. i probably filled out 20 in one week and got nothing. tell me about that. tell the economy to help. what was she coming up here to do? >> coming up, investigators take a closer look at rachel's
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brother ryan and find a troubling sentiment that seems to run in the family. >> the blacks and mexicans do. you know? whites got to do it, too. like a guppy in a shark tank. it just feels like, car salesmen want to sell whatever car is best for them, not best for me. there's gotta be a better way. ♪ as long as people drive cars carmax will be the best way to buy them.
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a human trafficking sting in polk county, florida, has suddenly turned into a family affair. >> that's my brother. please. my son is in the car. >> kid in the car, too. >> ry, you okay? >> the woman is arrested for prostitution. her brother is also arrested. and her 2-year-old son is recovered from her car. >> it's ridiculous. >> exactly what is ridiculous? >> this whole situation. >> and whose fault is that? >> apparently it's mine but -- >> what do you mean apparently it's yours? >> yeah. it is my fault. i can't believe this is happening. >> 26-year-old rachel wright tells police she is operating without a pimp, selling sex as a last resort to feed her child. >> where was that money going to? >> i don't know. probably a bill.
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>> were you going to give your brother any of it? >> no. i don't give him any money. >> police want to speak with older brother ryan to find out if he might be profiting from his sister's situation. >> one coming in. >> what was she coming up here to do? >> well, i mean, she said she does massages but -- >> but what? what is she coming up here to do? she says give hand jobs. >> ryan admits to knowing that his sister sells sex but says he was only along to watch her son because her boyfriend would not. >> so basically you came up her to watch her baby while she gives a guy a hand job. is that in essence what you did? >> yes. >> okay. would you say what you did today was smart? >> i mean, it definitely wasn't smart but i was just, you know, watching my nephew. i mean, we were just listening to the radio. >> you couldn't try to talk your sister out of this? >> no. the lights were getting ready to shut off. she needed money for the light bill. i'm sorry.
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>> you don't have to apologize to me but, i mean, it's horrible, man. that's horrible. your sister brought her kid up to turn a trick and you were babysitting him while she was turning a trick. >> after questioning, police don't think ryan is exploiting his sister but charged with misdemeanor, aiding and abetting prostitution. >> is there any way to go home? >> no. you have to go to jail on this one. >> before they finish processing him, police notice an unusual stamp on his wrist. >> what do you have tattooed on your wrist? >> a tattoo i got in prison. >> cut this off so we can see that. >> yeah. >> jacks. >> that's a tattoo that i would be interested. >> this wannabe irish republican tattoo is white power sympathies. >> probably along the lines of white pride, white power thing
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here in the united states. do i believe he's a member of the ira? no. >> a quick look at the e-mail i.d. yields similar suspicions. >> you have a user name of amelia 88. why is that? >> it's my account. >> yeah. >> what's it stand for? >> just -- >> tell me the truth. >> you have warrants. >> something i picked up in prison, sir. >> picked up in prison? >> 8th letter of the alphabet is "h" so that's heil hitler. white supremacy tattoos? >> no. >> no addition aal tattoos but and another telltale number 14. >> 14 words. we must secure the existence of our people and the future for white children. it was a phrase that was recited during a speech by a white supremacy group in the day. >> the irony is that ryan's nephew for whom he seems
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concerned is mixed rice. >> if you're interested in organizations like that, your nephews, right, they're mixed, right? >> yeah. >> why would you want to be part of an organization that doesn't agree with that? >> just because tired of being -- i got my jaw broke, robbed, guns to my head by black people. they never get in trouble for it. i'm stick of it. you have to stick with your people. whites got to do it, too. >> the views on race may be motivated at least in part of animosity for the sister's boyfriend, a black man named otis who normally drives her to dates. >> i don't like the guy. he broke my jaw. >> he broke your jaw? >> we got into an argument and he got me down on the ground and kept kicking me in the face an my sister threw herself on top of me to get him to stop kicking but he still kept kicking while she was pregnant and the police came. they had to do surgery on my face, put plates in my face.
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>> who's getting the money when your sister does this? >> definitely not me. you can look in my wallet. i don't have any. normally he would come the first time i come this happens to me -- you know? >> can you get me snoout? >> despite the admission, rachel bristles at the suggestion that otis might be her pimp. >> please. otis is not the problem here. trust me. you guys don't even know who he is. >> all i need to know, i haven't met him, he broke his jaw. >> i protected him best as i could. sorry. i messed up. i couldn't save the day every time. so whatever. >> with brother and sister now bound for the county jail, police are left with the dilemma of securing safe custody for rachel's 2-year-old son. >> you can call my boyfriend will come get him. >> rachel seems to exhibit the same questionable judgment that led her to bring a toddler to a
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prostitution sting in the first place. >> you said earlier -- >> he wouldn't watch him. not to go do this. he'll get him for that. he'll come get him. >> you told me earlier. it's not his kid. >> that's how i feel but that's not how he feels but he'll take him. >> it doesn't make sense. >> he didn't want to watch him but he's not going to come get him. >> if you think for a second we're going to release that 2-year-old child to otis, you're sadly mistaken. >> okay. then my mom will come get him then. anybody will come get him. you don't even know otis and you -- it's great. you don't even know him. >> a call is placed to rachel's mother but before the night is over, the child will be placed into the temporary custody of the florida department of children and family services. are you like wanting -- it's
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usually 175. >> for an hour? >> uh-huh. okay. >> i'm good with that. so let's do something about it. premarin vaginal cream can help it provides estrogens to help rebuild vaginal tissue and make intercourse more comfortable. premarin vaginal cream treats vaginal changes due to menopause and moderate-to-severe painful intercourse caused by these changes. don't use it if you've had unusual bleeding, breast or uterine cancer, blood clots, liver problems, stroke or heart attack, are allergic to any of its ingredients or think you're pregnant. side effects may include headache, pelvic pain, breast pain, vaginal bleeding and vaginitis. estrogens may increase your chances of getting cancer of the uterus, strokes, blood clots or dementia so use it for the shortest time based on goals and risks. estrogen should not be used to prevent heart disease, heart attack, stroke or dementia.
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how are you? >> good. how are you? >> for every seller of sex, there's a buyer. that's why more and more police and prosecutors are getting serious about tackling the demand side of the equation. >> i like to get the money up front, you know what i mean? >> here in polk county, florida, sheriff grady judd's investigators arrested hundreds of johns in the past few years. >> and i can tell you this. if you come to this county, you're going to get the full affect and force of the law. complete with a trip to the county jail and your picture on our jail website and a media release done about you. >> what were you coming here for? >> i don't -- i don't know. >> you don't know? >> 45-year-old david simms falls into a surprisingly common category of men nabbed in undercover prostitution stings. >> where is your wife at? >> she went out of town. >> married with children, simms has no prior arrests and says
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this is his first time paying for sex. >> this is -- i was curious. it's nothing i've done before. just talk and say hi. >> you were just going to pay somebody 100 bucks just to talk and say hi? >> police suspect that mr. simms is being a little less than truthful in the responses right now and recognize that the john will have to answer those questions eventually. >> when you get down to the jail, you can call your wife and explain to her what's going on. >> nobody's home. she's not here. >> i'm sure you can figure it out. you're an adult. i'm not talking to a juvenile here. >> do you get a lot of married male clients and before they actually are taken into custody have they shared with i don't some of the reasons why they're here. >> no. >> they just get down to business and have sex? >> they're ready to get down to business but a lot of times i can tell what they say weps a short window of time they can come see me. >> for a half hour, 100. full hour, 175. >> another surprisingly common
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character routinely caught in stings like these are wroem owe johns who seem to think that women enjoy having sex with them for money. >> i'm your style? ah, that's so sweet. >> such is the case with this man. >> oh, you brought gifts. >> who shows up for his date with the undercover toting a 6-pack of beer and an ipad full of love songs. >> what kind of music do you like? >> you're funny. >> investigators observe and record as the undercover skillfully allows the john to state his desires and name his price. >> are you, like, wanting an hour, half hour? >> an hour, 150. >> it's usually 175. >> for an hour? >> uh-huh. okay. >> i'm good with that. >> once the cash for sex deal is struck, sheriff's deputies come through the door and apprehend prince charming. 36-year-old augustine melendez
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came here looking to buy what's known in the trade as a girlfriend experience. now he's on his way to the polk county jail experience. >> i didn't think i could find this police. >> i know. it's crazy. isn't it? >> another romeo shows up after working all day at a nearby pizza parlor. >> got it. there's the wine. >> he brings a bottle of chianti and an opinion tight for amore. >> what would you like? 30 minutes, an hour? >> i thought it was an hour. >> okay. great. that's perfect. >> i mean, we don't have to rush or anything. >> i didn't say nothing. >> i know. >> she chatted me up. i came here to have a glass of wine. >> relax. >> come on, guys. oh my god. i'm dead. >> this is not the first rodeo for anthony demilo. the 60-year-old john from nearby lakeland, florida, had prior arrests for prostitution and
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loitering. but fortunately for him he also has sound legal representation in the family. >> do you have an attorney? >> my son. who works for the public defender's office. >> in just doesn't get easier. every operation it makes my heart hurt, you know, that people do this and that they would put their families and significant others through this. >> hello. >> while many of the johns we encountered were so-called family men without criminal records, women working in the underground sex trade frequently find themselves in the company of men who are not strangers to violence. >> so do you want to know what i like? >> such is the case with this man, 43-year-old donald gosnel of mississippi. upon arresting him, police learn that he is an excon with prior arrests for narcotics, battery and assault. undercover female officers come away from these operations with
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a firsthand appreciation for the risks that working girls and young women take every time they answer the door for a john. >> anything can happen in a split second. even to e they're here and they have our backs and can be in there in a matter of seconds, it just takes that split second for someone to pull a gun out and shoot me and kill me. now, an actual escort, you know, they don't have an arresting behind the door waiting or, you know, someone to come in and protect them if something does happen or go bad. they're literally putting their lives on the line. >> do you know what human trafficking is? >> yeah, i do. >> do you know where a lot of these girls come from in terms of girl that is sell themselves online? >> no. i really don't. >> did you find it okay? >>dy. >> like most of the men arrested on the operation, 50-year-old jeffrey clayton admits to giving little thought to the personal circumstances of women who sell sex. the repeat offender says such reflection might make it more difficult for him to engage in
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the practice of buying women. >> i think sometimes men don't think about why women are selling themselves online because sometimes it's not their choice. do you know that? >> yes. i mean, i have heard that. i mean, yes. so yes. i know that. i guess in my mind i'm always thinking that's never -- it's not the case for me. >> do you know what human trafficking is? >> i have a sense what it is, yes, ma'am. i do. >> stand up. >> 60-year-old john kor began is a long haul truck driver from illinois. like many americans, he's familiar with the concept of human trafficking. but says he thinks of it as something that only occurs overseas. >> i guess my question is, always to the men who come here, where did they think these women come from? do you think people sell their bodies because it's a good career choice? >> of course not. >> right? >> it becomes an economic -- >> necessity. i don't understand why men want to buy women who are desperate. >> you make a good point. it's an education for me. >> is it safe to say none of
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this is worth it? >> all of the men arrested here tonight are getting an education courtesy of sheriff judd and the polk county human trafficking task force. gone are the days when police might have treated johns with a nod and a wink or a slap on the wrist. tonight, the fight against human trafficking is on and those who prop up vice with the patronage will pay, at least in this jurisdiction. would you get that [ bleep ] camera while i punch that [ bleep ] i'm about to do. >> hey. stop. calm down. calm down. >> i just want to go home. at 62,000 brush movements per minute, philips sonicare leaves your mouth with a level of clean like you've never felt before. innovation and you. philips sonicare.
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happened. the officer has been placed on administrative leave. and what was once hurricane blanca is downgraded to a tropical storm nearing the baja california peninsula in mexico. now back to msnbc "undercover." yeah, how much did you say? >> in polk county, florida, the sheriff's human trafficking task force is conducting an undercover prostitution sting. >> what's up, girl? >> shortly after 5:00 p.m., they come across an ad that immediately seizes their attention. >> she says she is 20 on this ad. goes by the name of [ bleep ]. just didn't seem right. >> the girl in the photos appears to be quite young. >> the pictures of somebody who was below the age of 18. >> hey, what's up, girl? are you working snont. >> the undercover makes contact with the girl and offers $200 for a date at the hotel. she agrees and tells him she's
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on the way. >> we should have that chick rolling up soon. she's got the hotel number. >> >> shortly after 7:00 p.m., a car rolls up and delivers the girl to the hotel. she makes her way up to the room. >> she's here. she's here. >> a date with polk county sheriff's investigators. >> when she got here, i had to negotiate a little bit with her. had $150 on me and she said she was disappointed because she thought she was coming for an hour. >> once inside the room, it takes a little bargaining to reach the exact price for sex. like a typical john, the undercover is looking for a discount. >> can what can i get for 100? >> i don't know. >> besides -- no kissing. >> you don't kissing? >> not like -- >> she agreed to do everything besides kissing and some other specific sexual acts. but only in the half hour's time frame. >> as soon as the cash changes
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hands -- >> okay, go ahead. >> -- sheriff's deputies move in for the arrest. >> no drugs or narcotics, weapons? >> the girl we'll call tracy is a 15-year-old from nearby orlando. we have obscured her face to protect her identity. >> who were you texting on your phone? >> huh? >> who were you texting? >> nobody. >> police learn that she is a runaway being trafficked by a local pimp. >> she was texting and looked like a black male in the back grund. >> how old are you? >> you need to get the [ bleep ] out of my face. >> that's one way to be doing it. >> okay? chill out. >> [ bleep ]. >> chill out. it's only a misdemeanor right now. >> a misdemeanor [ bleep ]? i got a warrant. >> so you got that to worry about. >> you got any i.d. on you? >> no. pale and jittery, police learn tracy has been awake for 46 of the last 48 hours and hasn't eaten in over 24 hours.
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>> our crew will quickly learn she's understandably in no mood to be documented. >> would you get that [ bleep ] camera out my [ bleep ] face that's what i'm about to [ bleep ] camera in my face. >> calm down. >> calm down. >> you need all need to get that [ bleep ] out of my face. >> all right, all right. calm down. >> i'm going to play with [ bleep ]. >> that is misdemeanor. >> i don't care. get the camera out of my face. >> you are making this a felony. >> i got four [ bleep ] felonies. you think i care? i have a felony warrant. >> it may be difficult to watch but the outburst offers a cold, hard and painfully realistic look at the violence and turmoil that permeates the lives of sex trafficked teenagers. >> what is your name? >> man you ain't getting [ bleep ] from me. >> police notice the word king tattooed on the thigh. a telltale branding of women
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they consider their female property. >> i hate you all [ bleep ] right here. sheriff's police. i don't give a [ bleep ]. >> in the underground sex trade, investigators say that pimps routinely and forcefully instruct girls like tracy that the only appropriate sentiments for police are mistrust and contempt. >> why you all be messing with people's jobs? what's so wrong with prostituting? what's wrong with making money? not everybody can get a [ bleep ] in the world. >> police say words like these come from king. >> people need to do [ bleep ] for a living. not everybody has an education. you all don't got worry about [ bleep ]. >> it's inculcated in their life that the police are the bad people so when we say you don't have to live like this, there's a better way, and we want to help you, they look at us like we're from mars. >> hey, you have the right to
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remain silent. >> i don't care! i'm not listening to you! i've heard this plenty of [ bleep ] times. i don't give a [ bleep ]. being the police, i don't care. i don't care. >> at first, tracy refuses even the most basic cooperation with police. withholding her actual name and any information to positively identify her. >> [ bleep ] are you doing? >> they must attempt a digital scan of the fingerprints. >> give your name? >> you ain't getting my fingerprints either. >> she resisting. >> stop [ bleep ] touching me like you got [ bleep ] damn! >> officers must now impress upon her the new reality. at least for this moment, she's not on the streets and her pimp is not in charge here. >> i just want to go home. >> firmly bounded, quite literally by the arms of the law, the fight gradually begins to leave her and reveals the new
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tram. >> my name is -- >> what, dear? >> it is the first step of a long juny that will ultimately lead her away from a certain dead end and into a brand-new life. do you know how old she is? >> no. >> you don't? >> no. >> did you know that she was 15? >> no. absolutely not. i didn't know how old she was. your energy... immunity... and metabolism like never before. centrum multigummies. see gummies in a whole new light. yogas mileage , horse power...e torque ratios. three spreadsheets later you finally bring home the one. then smash it into a tree. your insurance company's all too happy to raise your rates. maybe you should've done a little more research on them. for drivers with accident forgiveness, liberty mutual won't raise your rates due to your first accident. see car insurance in a whole new light.
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orlando. the girl we'll call tracy agreed to $150 in exchange for half an hour of sex. police discover that the juvenile is a runaway and they suspect that she is working under the heel of a local pimp. >> this is a misdemeanor. >> i don't care. get a camera autoof my face! >> at first, tracy is wild and aggressively resistant to arrest. >> that's just a natural defense mechanism. depending on her circumstances, depending on why she's doing this, if she's, you know, being forced, there's a lot of fear there. >> tracy is ushered to a private room for a discrete session with detectives away from our cameras. meanwhile, police turn their attention to the man in the vehicle that delivered the juvenile to the hotel. >> they got the address written on a little card down here in the car. >> 48-year-old michael kemfer of orlando is driving on a suspended license. the car is registered to a
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friend of his named montavius pos tell. >> what were you doing? >> dropping her off at the hotel. >> how long have you known her? >> just a couple of months. >> couple of months? how did you meet her? >> a friend of mine's room, a friend of mine's roommate. >> what was she coming up here for? >> honestly, i don't know what she does but i'm assuming that -- not good based off of this. >> at first, he says that he didn't know what tracy was doing and doesn't take long for him to flip and admit he does. >> how long have you known she's a prostitute? >> a couple of weeks maybe. >> how did you know? >> i heard her talking on the telephone. >> what was your reasoning for bringing her up here? for your own goodwill? makes more sense if you got something out of it. >> yeah. i mean, i would, i would like to have gotten $20 for my time to bring her over here, yeah, absolutely. >> would she have given you $20?
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>> i would hope so. >> you assume that she would be willing to give you some cash, right? >> yes. >> and with that admission, he sets himself up for a charge of deriving proceeds from prostitution. a felony compounded by the fact that tracy is a juvenile. >> do you know how old she is? >> no. >> you don't know? >> no. >> what is your guess? >> 18, i don't know. i would have guessed 18. she is doing this. >> why don't you try 15, buddy? >> great. >> how's that make you feel? >> terrible. >> however his day may have started, it doesn't take long for him to realize that it's not going to end well. if convicted, he could be looking at a maximum sentence of 15 years in a florida state penitentiary. >> did you know that she was 15? >> no. absolutely not. i didn't know how old she was. >> in the holding room, he begins to break down. telling our producer he was desperate for money after more than a year of unemployment.
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>> what did you do before you were unemployed? >> in the restaurant business for like 30 years. i had one job for ten years. denny's and another one for 15 years with ihop. and then i opened my own business for a year with my wife. and then my mom got sick here in orlando. which is a house i live in now. i came back to be with my father. >> he says his life began to unravel during the previous holiday season when his mother passed away. his last employer fired him and his wife and daughter left him. >> you look like you've really fallen on hard times. >> it is the truth. and i needed just to -- i thought she'd give me $20 for giving her a ride. >> he also admits to having a drug problem but says that has nothing to do with drivinging his friend's girl to a date. >> what kind of drug problem did you have? >> open yachts, pain pills.
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>> you still don't have a problem? >> i would say i have a problem, yes. >> yeah. did he offer you open yachts? >> no. absolutely not. >> did you ask michael, is michael telling the truth? >> yeah. >> do you feel badly that he is in trouble now? >> yeah. and he shouldn't be getting in trouble. >> do you think he should be going to jail? >> no. he ain't even know. >> are you out here selling yourself by choice? >> it's my choice. i'm going to do it when i want to do it and the whole tv crew can [ muted ] know. >> in less than 20 moneys, she's done a complete 180. no longer dodging the cameras, the 15-year-old tries to convince herself she is selling sex on her own accord, it's the display of a trafficked girl trying to shield a pimp from blame. >> have you heard of human trafficking? >> yeah. all of that. i've been in the industry. like i care what you all are saying. like i really care. >> you were in the streets?
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>> being in the streets since i was 6. 6. i was 6. >> how did you end up in the streets at 6? >> it's called growing up in the hood. that's what it's called. >> it is unclear how much of the self portrayal is clear. >> we talked to her mom and dad? >> grandma. >> grandma? >> police run a records check and find the earlier claims of four felony affairs does not check. >> i've been running away. >> why did you run away? >> because i can. >> at 6? >> no. i've been -- i be walk -- listen. i'm not going to explain to you all. whatever you all do, you all do, i say to the other prostitutes, do not come to polk county. i knew it was wrong in the first place. >> did you? >> no. i knew about polk county. >> how did you know about polk county? >> polk county is polk county.
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period. police. polk, police. >> why did you come then? >> i don't know. but i bet you all are getting it. who would want to help someone like me out? >> lots of organizations. lots of people care about girling like you. >> none that help me. intercourse that's painful due noboto menopausal changesit... it's not likely to go away on its own. so let's do something about it.
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sheriff's police in polk county, florida, have taken into custody a 15-year-old run away during a prostitution sting. >> we ran her. we can't find anything on her other than her being a runaway. talked to her grandmother and happy she is alive but she said she wasn't surprised. >> are you out here selling yourself by choice? >> i'm not going to explain to you all. >> belligerent at first, the girl we are calling tracy eventually begins to cool off
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and confides in grace. >> you been up for 48 hours? >> i probably sleep four hours out of 72 hours. >> how can you live like that? >> tracy's story bares candid witness to the all-too common plugt of runaway teens in the underground sex trade. >> why was it so bad to leave your house? >> they was too strict. >> too strict? >> no freedom at all. >> really? >> i just wanted freedom. >> freedom from her parents came at a high cost for the young runaway and learned a brutal life about life on the streets of orlando. >> i met a man walking down the street. >> yeah. >> i needed a ride. he picked me up. he was supposed to be taking me somewhere and did something else to me. >> what did he do? >> he raped me. >> how old were you? >> 14. >> ashamed, tracy says she never reported the rape. >> i ain't never tell anybody. >> instead she blamed herself for the crime. >> so you're not blaming this
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guy? >> i blame myself. i blame myself for everything. >> let me tell you something. that man knew you were 14 years old. >> uh-huh. >> do you know what he call those guys? >> pedophiles? >> he's a pedophile. >> baptized by violence into the very real dangers of going it alone, tracy says she fell in with a group of young women trying to survive in similar circumstances. it's what's known in the trade as a family. >> are you part of a family? >> yes. >> how many girls are there? >> four. >> four? and how much do you make an hour? >> i make $1,000 a day. >> you make $1,000 a day? >> sunday some days 1,500, 1,300, 700. >> while it's difficult to confirm the accuracy of the claim, at $200 a date, an estimate of $1,000 a day is not unreasonable. and this tattoo of the word "king" inked on to the girl's thigh gives investigators a clue
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as to where all the money may be going. >> come on. you're in his family. >> whose family? >> king's family. >> what do you mean? >> i'm not with no pink. >> where's the $28,000 you're making a month? where is that money? >> eventually tracy admits that she does not keep any money for her labor but she stops short of saying who does. >> i don't got nothing to show for all that money i make. for the past six months that i've been on back page i probably made at least $100,000. i ain't got nothing to show for it. >> that doesn't make you a little angry or little frustrated? >> i choose not to keep the money. >> the money for trafficked girls like tracy isn't her primary concern. she's much more worried about securing her pimp's affection and avoiding his wrath. >> has anybody ever beat you? >> yeah. >> is that why you do this, particularly why you do it? >> uh-huh. because i been hit a lot. another reason, because don't feel like anyone cares.
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>> so many girls like tracy stay attached to the men who abuse and exploit them if only they truly feel that nobody else cares. >> who would want to help somebody like me snout. >> there are lots of organizations. lots of people care about girls like you. >> not one that is will help me. >> yeah. >> who would want to help a person like me? i'm a bad person. >> what makes you a bad person? because you ran away and somebody raped you? that doesn't make you a bad person. >> i'm a bad person. >> you are not a bad person. >> hopeless and filled with self hatred, tracy views herself as hopeless. >> i just got to say to the young girls my age, stay with your parents. did to school. i should have did that. >> it's heart breaking to consider that this sleep deprived hungry teen once had dreams of college and being a pediatrician. >> you're only 15. you can still be a pediatrician. >> not with my charges. >> and this -- oh, yes. you can.
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you've a juvenile. nobody sees those charges. if anybody is telling you that, they're trying to control you and you're considered a child. you are a child out here. you're a kid f. you want to be a pediatrician, you're a smart, pretty girl. you can do whatever you want. >> we're fighting against a very, very difficult situation. they know when they leave us and go back on the street they're confronted with that same pimp again. well, they don't have to be. if they'll cooperate, we'll send him to prison far long time for human trafficking and make sure she gets assistance. we'll make sure that she's out of that environment. >> after her arrest, tracy cooperated with sheriff's police, providing information that ultimately led to the arrest of the pimp known as king. 22-year-old postel. >> hello? >> what's up? >> king. >> yeah. >> included in the state's
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evidence against him are numerous phone calls from jail where the defendant can be heard rallying the women under his control to pony up their money from dates and post his bond. >> where you all at? >> i'm on a date. i already caught $250 date for that money you needed and i'm fixing to caught -- i'm about to catch another $250 date. i had brought lexus with me and she's making money. >> you all go pay it right now. >> use all this money right here for bond? >> well, what, what, else am i supposed to do with it? what you want me to do with it? >> i'm making sure that's what i'm supposed to do. >> the must be for the bond. >> reveal a complicated tangle of emotions that often keep girls and young women like tracy spinning in a tight orbit around romeo pimps like king. >> i'm sorry. >> for what? >> for bitching. this is when [ bleep ] comes together when you're in jail.
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>> like what came together? >> like how you feel it. when you're here it, i hate you. i hate you. when you're gone, i really like you. i can't be without you. >> staring down the barrel of a possible life sentence, postel cut with a deal with prosecutors to avoid trial. he pleaded guilty to human trafficking and received nine years lock-up in the florida state pent tear and the driver received a sentence of four years probation. >> as for tracy, no charges were ever filed. she received counseling as a trafficking victim and was eventually placed with a relative. >> actually, honestly, it takes something like this to happen to learn from it. >> tracy recently completed her ged and going about the business of rebuilding her life.
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a night at the beach with his brother's truck sends a repeat offender back to jail. >> i fell asleep in the truck, and the tide came in. and took the truck out into the ocean. brand-new truck that he just paid off. >> but he still has the love of his aunt. >> i want to say he's a poop head. i don't think he's vicious. i don't think he's mean. i don't think he thinks. >> and --
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