Hope for Justice has identified dozens of potential trafficking victims after two law enforcement agencies asked for our help with their investigations into a network of illicit massage parlors.
Our team of investigators in the U.S. were asked to search solicitation websites believed to be used for exploitative purposes. We uncovered hundreds of advertisements which are suspected to be linked to the activities of two criminal organizations.
We were approached by two police departments after our investigators delivered training in North Carolina last month to equip officers to respond to human trafficking and to conduct victim-centered interviews.
Hope for Justice is continuing to support the two law enforcement agencies with their investigation and providing support to potential victims of exploitation.
Richard Schoeberl, Hope for Justice’s U.S. Team Leader for Investigations & Training, said: “Our highest priority is to safeguard the victims who we suspect are being exploited – in this case, we believe there are dozens. To do that, we need to gather as much evidence as possible; each piece helps us understand the scale of what is happening and build a case against the perpetrators.
“We’re grateful for our strong partnerships with law enforcement and to the two agencies involved in this investigation for contacting us and trusting us to work alongside them. It is these joint efforts that help us to combat crime more effectively, move trafficking victims to places of safety faster, hold traffickers to account, and ensure that survivors have the right support in place for their recovery.
“We first became involved in this investigation because of training our teams delivered. Time and again we see how increased awareness leads to survivors being identified and safely removed from exploitation.”
Our investigators looked at various databases and located a number of advertisements which portrayed suspected human trafficking victims. With the evidence we found, we linked two large criminal organizations who were being investigated by law enforcement.
Our involvement follows training that our Investigators Jeff Bolettieri and Chris Kenefick delivered on the topics ‘What every officer needs to know about human trafficking’ and ‘Victim centered interviewing’. The training was hosted by nonprofit Shield North Carolina (NC), and brought together multiple North Carolina law enforcement agencies, including officers from Apex, Morrisville, Holly Springs, Pittsboro, Gastonia, Amtrak Police, Duke University Hospital Police, the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office, the NC State Bureau of Investigation, and the FBI’s Charlotte office.
Senior Investigator Jeff Bolettieri said: “Every survivor recovered reminds us why this fight matters. Behind every statistic is a human being who deserves freedom, dignity, and the chance to reclaim their story.”
