WTSP Tampa Bay: Pasco County man indicted on federal human trafficking charges

A Pasco County man could face life in prison after being indicted on federal human trafficking charges. A recent DOJ release reveals the 49-year-old man recruited people, including children, to engage in prostitution through misrepresentation and violent tactics such as sexual assault and physical violence. Prosecutors allege the man trafficked children, foreign nationals, and others across the United States to work in prostitution, forcing them to turn over the money they earned or ask for his permission to spend it.

Florida is one of the top states in the country for the commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking of children. Far too often, children are recruited out of the foster care system and lured into prostitution, where they are exploited for commercial sex, resulting in severe physical, emotional, and sexual abuse.

If you see something, say something. If you think a child is the victim of human trafficking, contact the Florida Abuse Hotline at 1-800-96-ABUSE (1-800-962-2873) or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).