Two investigations by the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force have led to felony charges against two men accused of seeking sex with minors. On January 24, 2023, Richard E. Kozak, 31, of Youngstown Ohio, was arrested after an investigation revealed evidence of online crimes against children including his attempt to sexually assault a 15-year-old. Kozak has been charged with compelling prostitution, importuning, and possession of criminal tools.
On January 6, 2023 the task force arrested John Slates, 75, of Richmond Ohio, after he allegedly attempted to sexually assault an individual that he believed to be a 15-year-old female and her adult mother. Slates was charged with compelling prostitution, attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, possessing criminal tools, and engaging in prostitution.
Additionally, the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force along with the Salem and East Palestine police departments have conducted other undercover sting operations that in the month of January, have resulted in the arrests of Russell Miller, 41, of Struthers, Ohio; Austin Bennett, 25, of Elyria, Ohio; Matthew Cessna, 43, of Youngstown, Ohio; Jerome Hassan, 59, of New Castle, Pennsylvania, Andrew Lightner, 43, of Alliance, Ohio; Michael Lawson, 38, of Butler, Pennsylvania, Gary Casey, 47, of Girard, Ohio; Mai Alei, 42, of Youngstown, Ohio; Seth Ensign, 23, of Youngstown, Ohio; Cody Heasley, 26, of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania; Wissam Zarour, 50, of Youngstown, Ohio; Justin Palmer, 43, of Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania; Ollie Patrick Jr., 52, of Mineral City, Ohio; and Jamal Jamison, 31, of Wintersville, Ohio.
The CSE Institute applauds the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force in its efforts to battle sex trafficking. By targeting the demand of sex buyers, both local and those that travel across state lines, law enforcement officials are also targeting the root cause of sexual exploitation.
The CSE Institute stands with survivors and advocates for the adoption of the Equality Model in the United States, as commercial sexual exploitation is most effectively stopped by putting an end to demand. The Equality Model consists of four key elements: (1) decriminalization of the prostituted person, (2) criminalization of sex buyers and facilitators with a commitment to treating buying sex as a serious crime, (3) a public education campaign about the inherent harms of prostitution, and (4) funded, robust, holistic exit services for victims of commercial sexual exploitation. The Equality Model directly targets the demand for buying sex by criminalizing sex buyers and traffickers, while decriminalizing the people who are being bought and sold for commercial sex. The decriminalization of people in prostitution recognizes those who are bought and sold for sex as exploited, not as perpetrators of a crime.
The CSE Institute will continue to provide updates on this matter.
All views expressed herein are personal to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law or of Villanova University.