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An accused activity trafficker allegedly raped a 16-year-old woman to resoluteness a $13,500 indebtedness that he claimed she and her family owed him, according to Louisiana police.
Juven Pineda, 34, faces charges of second-degree rape and quality trafficking aft his seizure successful North Carolina and caller transportation to nan custody of investigators successful nan New Orleans suburb of Kenner, who had obtained a warrant to apprehension him.
A bail commissioner connected 10 June ordered Pineda held without enslaved pending nan result of nan lawsuit against him, which investigators opportunity starkly illustrates nan grim realities of human trafficking.
Police successful Kenner said successful a media connection that Pineda’s apprehension was “an important reminder that quality trafficking often occurs down closed doors, and victims are often acrophobic to travel forward”.
Kenner constabulary main Keith Conley added successful a statement: “If you spot something, opportunity something. Human trafficking thrives successful silence.
“A azygous telephone telephone could thief prevention a unfortunate from exploitation and abuse.”
In a sworn connection prepared separately, investigators said they were provided an email from a section paralegal reporting that her rule patient was representing a customer who was calved successful November 2002 and had been sexually trafficked from Honduras to Kenner done Mexico.
The constabulary connection noted that investigators soon identified Pineda arsenic nan fishy successful nan lawsuit – and that nan customer now lived successful North Carolina. The connection said Pineda had helped smuggle her begetter into nan US – earlier doing nan aforesaid pinch her, ostensibly for free, erstwhile she was 16 successful May 2019, according to what she told investigators during a bid of interviews opening successful October 2023.
Police wished that nan girl’s begetter weeks later brought her to a location successful New Orleans. After a fewer months, constabulary said, she moved into a location Pineda had adjacent New Orleans airdrome successful Kenner, wherever he informed her she was now responsible for $13,500 successful debts that she and her begetter had pinch him.
Pineda besides allegedly threatened to physically harm her family successful Honduras if she did not settee nan indebtedness – which she could do by becoming his “woman”. She purportedly recounted to constabulary that becoming Pineda’s female meant cleaning his house, surviving pinch him arsenic “a couple” and being raped by him repeatedly.
Police said Pineda brought her to North Carolina astatine nan opening of 2020 and raped her there, too. She told investigators that she was not free to time off him and felt for illustration a “prisoner”.
Investigators obtained a warrant to apprehension Pineda successful March 2024. North Carolina’s road patrol detained him connected that warrant connected 24 April, Kenner constabulary said successful a media statement. He had been extradited to nan custody of Kenner constabulary by 5 June and booked pinch 3 counts of second-degree rape arsenic good arsenic 1 of quality trafficking, according to jailhouse records.
Second-degree rape successful Louisiana tin transportation betwixt 5 and 40 years successful prison. Human trafficking tin transportation 20 years, though that tin beryllium enhanced nether definite circumstances.
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Information and support for anyone affected by rape aliases intersexual maltreatment issues is disposable from nan pursuing organizations. In nan US, Rainn offers support connected 800-656-4673. In nan UK, Rape Crisis offers support connected 0808 500 2222. In Australia, support is disposable astatine 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other world helplines tin beryllium recovered astatine ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html
