The FBI and Homeland Security launched a joint initiative with the Los Angeles Police Department on Wednesday to target human traffickers.
Law enforcement that has been separated from the Figueroa Corridor Human Trafficking Initiative is focusing on a 3.5-mile stretch of Figueroa Street between Gage Avenue and Imperial Highway, an area notorious for prostitution. Investigators plan to focus on prosecuting human traffickers, specifically those who sexually exploit minors in the South L.A. neighborhood.
“People often think that human trafficking is something that only happens in other countries, but it happens right here in our own city,” said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
In conjunction with the crackdown in the Figueroa Corridor, the Justice Department has pledged to prosecute suspected human traffickers in federal court, particularly in cases involving children. At a press conference Wednesday, U.S. prosecutors announced three cases involving the sex trafficking of minors along the corridor.
“The Figueroa Corridor area is ground zero for human trafficking, and victims are abused and exploited there every day,” said U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada. “It is imperative that we take an all-hands approach to stop the human trafficking that is happening right on our doorstep.”
One of the cases involves a pair of Anaheim men — Nanci Jasmin Castillo, 31, and Jonathan Gonzalez-Reyes, 38 — who allegedly produced child pornography after befriending a 13-year-old girl. Federal prosecutors allege the men sexually abused her while she was in and out of consciousness. The pair also considered having her work down the hall, according to court documents.
The other two cases involve two sex trafficking rings in which two men allegedly acted as pimps for teenage girls in Figueroa.
“Our women, youth and communities deserve better, and this is just the beginning of our focused, multi-agency effort to stop human trafficking along the Figueroa Corridor,” said LAPD Chief Dominic Choi.
Anyone with information regarding child sexual abuse cases is encouraged to contact the FBI Los Angeles office at (310) 477-6565 or send tips to https://tips.fbi.gov.
