Items written by Samantha Newman
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Law Enforcement or Law Corruption: Shifting the Focus in Police Paid-Sex Stings
Date: April 9, 2025
At the time this article is being written, both buying and selling sex is illegal under Pennsylvania law. One way that law enforcement attempts to identify individuals endeavoring to solicit or engage in illegal sexual activity is through the use … Read more about Law Enforcement or Law Corruption: Shifting the Focus in Police Paid-Sex Stings »
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Three Philadelphia Hotels to Pay $17.5 Million to Trafficking Survivors
Date: April 8, 2025
On March 13, 2025, the owners of a Motel 6, Days Inn, and North American Motor Inn in Philadelphia agreed to pay $17.5 million to three women who were sex trafficked at the hotels. The plaintiffs, who were between 14 … Read more about Three Philadelphia Hotels to Pay $17.5 Million to Trafficking Survivors »
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Williamsport Man Found Guilty in Sex Trafficking Case
Date: April 8, 2025
On February 25, Allen Arthur Frazier was found guilty of charges related to his attempts to exchange money, drugs, and other goods for sex acts from two minor victims. Following a two-day trial in Lycoming County, the jury found Frazier, … Read more about Williamsport Man Found Guilty in Sex Trafficking Case »
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Blair County Man Arrested for Sex Trafficking a Minor
Date: April 8, 2025
In November 2024, Logan D’George was taken into custody for allegedly trafficking and sexually exploiting a juvenile victim. As a result, D’George, a 70-year-old resident of Blair County, Pennsylvania, now faces thirty-two charges, including nine counts of viewing/possessing child sexual … Read more about Blair County Man Arrested for Sex Trafficking a Minor »
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“Shame Must Switch Sides”: Gisèle Pelicot’s Story
Date: April 7, 2025
Gisèle Pelicot’s life changed when she discovered that her husband, Dominique Pelicot, had been drugging and raping her for about a decade. Prior to the discovery of Mr. Pelicot’s abuse, Ms. Pelicot and her husband enjoyed more than 50 years … Read more about “Shame Must Switch Sides”: Gisèle Pelicot’s Story »
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Two Pennsylvania Professionals Exchange Services for Sex
Date: April 3, 2025
In February 2025, two professionals in the Greater Philadelphia region were arrested for exchanging their professional services for sex with clients. Neither were charged with human trafficking. Both should have been. On February 11, Brian Thomas Steiner, a Delaware County … Read more about Two Pennsylvania Professionals Exchange Services for Sex »
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Digital Exploitation: How Social Media and Financial Instability Fuel Human Trafficking
Date: April 1, 2025
In the last decade, the internet and social media have transformed daily life, offering global access and financial opportunities. While these platforms empower users to build audiences and monetize content, they also expose vulnerable individuals, particularly those from lower socio-economic … Read more about Digital Exploitation: How Social Media and Financial Instability Fuel Human Trafficking »
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Human Trafficking Case Results in Probation in Blair County
Date: March 28, 2025
On February 28, 2024, Nikkia D. Beck, 43, was sentenced to ten years of probation by President Judge Wade A. Kagarise of Blair County after pleading guilty to conspiring to engage in human trafficking, sexual exploitation of children, corruption of … Read more about Human Trafficking Case Results in Probation in Blair County »
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Five Arrested in North Strabane Township Following Prostitution Investigation
Date: March 28, 2025
On January 23, Homeland Security and local police arrested five individuals in connection with a “prostitution investigation” in North Strabane Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania. The arrests followed searches of two spas, Jin Spa and Yan Spa, by the local North … Read more about Five Arrested in North Strabane Township Following Prostitution Investigation »
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“Don’t Buy Sex in Ohio”: Washington County Official Among Recently Arrested by the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force
Date: March 26, 2025
According to Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, the recent arrests made by Ohio’s Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force highlight the “diverse backgrounds of those fueling human trafficking.” Among the arrestees are Patrick Geho, 55, of Washingtonville, Pennsylvania, and David … Read more about “Don’t Buy Sex in Ohio”: Washington County Official Among Recently Arrested by the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force »