Woman sentenced in sex trafficking case

    

    Image Courtesy of Macomb Daily

    by: Beverly Murillo

    A woman connected to an alleged sex trafficking ring in metro Detroit has been ordered to serve a year in jail followed by five years probation. Chrystal Forgays was sentenced July 15 by Oakland County circuit judge Martha Anderson on one count of human trafficking of a minor for sexual activity. She pleaded no contest to while six other charges were dismissed. The charges included conducting a criminal enterprise, human trafficking, and three counts of prostitution.

    

Human Trafficking operation in Lee County, Mississippi

 

    Image Courtesy of Local Memphis

    by: Beverly Murillo

    In Mississippi on Friday July 9, 2021 the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation launched an undercover operation in Lee County. It resulted with arrests and charges of eight individuals. The identification of seven human trafficking victims. There were two charged with promoting prostitution.

    Keenan Hardy had three felony warrants for domestic violence out of Illinois and was arrested for extradition. Bobby Green was charged with promoting prostitution. Willis Traylor was charged with two counts of possession of cocaine and methamphetamines. Keelan Smithy was charged with child exploitation. Noe Muz was charged with child exploitation. Dewayne Davis was charged with child exploitation. All were charged. 

Raise awareness of human trafficking ends in Buffalo

     There were hundreds gathered in Niagara Square on Saturday to celebrate Juneteenth. It focuses on what many describe as modern-day slavery. In Buffalo Juneteenth has been celebrated for more than forty years. Buffalo has the first celebration of the day as a national holiday that advocates against human trafficking.  The FreeTHEM Walkers, Cynthia Brown-Long, a human trafficking survivor, encouraged the crowd to remember victims of human trafficking who are still waiting be freed.

    Cynthia was one of several speakers who addressed the crowd in Niagara Square, was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of killing a man when she was 16. There were advocates who argued that the killing was self-defense as she was a sex trafficking victim. She was released from prison in 2019.

    Kelly Galloway a buffalo native and founder of a Christian humanitarian organization known as RAMP Global Missions. Galloway's organization runs Project Mona's House and the FreeTHEM Center. They are dedicated to helping trafficking victims. The goal of Galloway is to celebrate with all the victims and those at risk of becoming victims their "own personal day of freedom" one day.