Ten people in New Jersey were indicted today with violating the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, authored into law by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ). The law focused on the most severe forms of trafficking in human beings and provided law enforcement tools to eliminate slavery, and particularly sex slavery, by a comprehensive, balanced approach of prevention, prosecution and enforcement, and victim protection. 

    The Indictment issued today by U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie (Newark), charges the 10 individuals with violations of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, including counts of conspiracy to commit forced labor, forced labor, alien smuggling and harboring illegal aliens. All ten are alleged members of a ring operating in the United States and Honduras that smuggled young, undocumented Honduran women and girls into the U.S. and forced them to work off their smuggling debt in Hudson County. The women, mostly from rural, poor villages in Honduras – some as young as 14 – were recruited under the false promise of getting legitimate jobs as waitresses in restaurants in New Jersey. 

    “We wrote this law precisely to combat this type of revolting criminal activity,” said Representative Smith, who has consistently been a leading voice for human rights. “The law must be vigorously enforced so that we can end the abhorrent trafficking, torture and slavery of women and children once and for all.” 

    The 31-count Indictment returned today describes the rape and torture of young women while smuggled to the United States. Victims – younger than 21 – were forced to continually drink alcohol and dance with male bar customers in order to raise money to pay smuggling fees between $10,000 and $20,000. They were beaten and threatened if they refused to work up to seven days a week from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. 

    “This was inhumane and sadistic treatment of young women who were kept as virtual slaves,” said Prosecuting U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie. “These are among the most vile crimes I’ve seen in my time as U.S. Attorney, and we will bring the full weight of federal prosecution against these defendants.”

    Smith’s Victims Protection Act (Public Law 106-386) targets criminals who knowingly operate enterprises that profit from sex acts involving persons who have been brought across international boundaries for such purposes by force or fraud, or who force human beings into slavery and ensures punishment commensurate with the penalties for kidnapping and forcible rape. 

    According to the Indictment, the ring employed recruiters in Honduras to locate attractive, innocent young woman – most in their teens and early 20s – and used smugglers get them into the United States illegally. Once in the U.S., “enforcers,” who advised the Honduran women upon arrival in New Jersey of the true nature of their work, that they were required to repay a smuggling fee of up to $20,000 and then used physical abuse and intimidation to control and use them to make money for the conspirators. The young women received $240 for approximately 48 hours of work per week.

 They were required to pay virtually all their earnings to the ring, at the rate of between $250 and $500 a week, according to the Indictment and earlier criminal Complaints.

    Smith has introduced the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005 (H.R. 972) in the House of Representatives. This legislation will allow the current trafficking law to remain active through FY 2007. It also authorizes new funds to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, grants to state and local law enforcement and provides additional legal tools to prevent trafficking and enhance prosecutions of trafficking offenses. 

    “New Jersey’s U.S. Attorney Chris Christie has been a relentless and nationwide leader in an effort to bring those that commit these horrible crimes to justice,” said Smith. “It is essential that Congress passes the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act so that law enforcement can continue to liberate the unfortunate women and children who are forced and coerced into slavery.”