{"id":8830,"date":"2015-01-27T15:47:32","date_gmt":"2015-01-27T23:47:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=8830"},"modified":"2015-01-27T16:07:56","modified_gmt":"2015-01-28T00:07:56","slug":"human-trafficking-ring-dismantled","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=8830","title":{"rendered":"Human Trafficking Ring Dismantled"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"FBI<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

(\u00a0January has been declared National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month by the U.S. government.<\/strong> <\/em><\/p>\n

Human trafficking can take many forms, from forced servitude to sexual exploitation of children, and the FBI is fighting these crimes on every front.)<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Published by FBI<\/strong><\/p>\n

(Jan. 27, 2015)<\/p>\n

The young Ukrainian men and women\u2014many of them out of work and with few prospects\u2014were promised good-paying jobs in the United States. But instead of living the American dream, they were thrust into a nightmare of violence, threats, and forced servitude.<\/p>\n

For years, five brothers who ran a human trafficking organization victimized dozens of unwitting Ukrainians, underscoring the reality that modern-day slavery exists in the United States and around the world\u2014and requires a strong response by governments and law enforcement.<\/p>\n

Although Ukrainian trafficking victims were told they would gain legal entry in the U.S., they were routinely smuggled through Mexico using temporary tourist visas.<\/p>\n

The Botsvynyuk brothers<\/strong> created many victims. Based on trial transcripts and other public records, from approximately 2000 to 2007, the Ukrainians recruited their young countrymen to work in the U.S. in their businesses cleaning large retail stores at night.<\/p>\n

They promised good jobs, usually with salaries of $500 per month. The victims were told that room and board would be provided as well as all travel expenses. They were also told that they could earn $10,000 after two or three years of working.<\/p>\n

Many of those who signed up for these jobs were uneducated and desperate for work.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey believed it would be a much better deal than what they had in the Ukraine,\u201d said Special Agent Ned Conway,<\/strong> who has been investigating this case out of our Philadelphia Division for nearly a decade.<\/p>\n

Instead of entering the U.S. legally, many of the victims were smuggled through Mexico and ended up working 10- to 12-hour days, seven days a week.<\/p>\n

They lived up to five people in one room, slept on dirty mattresses on the floor, and most were never compensated\u2014on the contrary, they were told they had to work for the brothers until their debts, ranging from $10,000 to $50,000, were paid.<\/p>\n

Worse, the Botsvynyuks used physical force and sexual assault to keep victims enslaved. They also threatened violence to victims\u2019 families still in the Ukraine.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome women were raped on their arrival in the U.S., and many of the men were beaten,\u201d Conway said. \u201cThere was an element of fear right from the start.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most of the victims didn\u2019t speak English and felt they had nowhere to turn. And they were afraid for their families back home.<\/p>\n

Over time, though, some victims were detained at the border trying to gain entrance into the country, and other victims came forward.<\/p>\n

In 2010, all five brothers were indicted for human trafficking\u2014specifically for conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. Stepan and Omelyan<\/strong> Botsvynyuk<\/strong> were convicted in 2011, and in 2012, Stepan was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Omelyan received a life sentence.<\/p>\n

Two other brothers, Mykhaylo and Yaroslav, fled to Canada. They were extradited in 2013, and their trial is set to begin this week in a Philadelphia federal court. The last brother, Dmytro Botsvynyuk, remains a fugitive in the Ukraine.<\/p>\n

The damage caused by the Botsvynyuk brothers to perhaps 70 or more Ukrainian victims is staggering to contemplate. \u201cThe sexual assaults on the women were brutal,\u201d Conway said, \u201cand some of the men were psychologically broken. What happened to these innocent victims is a real tragedy. For some, their lives were destroyed.\u201d<\/p>\n

But there were a few bright spots to the story as well, Conway added. Some victims found the courage to testify against their abusers. And as victims of human trafficking, they also qualify for the right to apply for visas and stay in the U.S., which had been their dream all along.<\/p>\n

\u201cWithout the brave cooperation of some of the victims,\u201d Conway said, \u201cit would have been more difficult to shut down the Botsvynyuks\u2019 operation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Efforts to Stop Human Trafficking<\/strong><\/p>\n

The FBI has a range of resources to counter human trafficking, from agents who investigate child sexual exploitation cases to specialists from our Office for Victim Assistance who help victims get their lives back on track.<\/p>\n

Worse, the Botsvynyuks used physical force and sexual assault to keep victims enslaved. They also threatened violence to victims\u2019 families still in the Ukraine.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome women were raped on their arrival in the U.S., and many of the men were beaten,\u201d Conway said. \u201cThere was an element of fear right from the start.\u201d Most of the victims didn\u2019t speak English and felt they had nowhere to turn. And they were afraid for their families back home.<\/p>\n

Over time, though, some victims were detained at the border trying to gain entrance into the country, and other victims came forward.<\/p>\n

In 2010, all five brothers were indicted for human trafficking\u2014specifically for conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.<\/p>\n

Stepan and Omelyan Botsvynyuk were convicted in 2011, and in 2012, Stepan was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Omelyan received a life sentence.<\/p>\n

Two other brothers, Mykhaylo and Yaroslav, fled to Canada.<\/p>\n

They were extradited in 2013, and their trial is set to begin this week in a Philadelphia federal court. The last brother, Dmytro Botsvynyuk, remains a fugitive in the Ukraine.<\/p>\n

The damage caused by the Botsvynyuk brothers to perhaps 70 or more Ukrainian victims is staggering to contemplate.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe sexual assaults on the women were brutal,\u201d Conway said, \u201cand some of the men were psychologically broken. What happened to these innocent victims is a real tragedy. For some, their lives were destroyed.\u201d<\/p>\n

But there were a few bright spots to the story as well, Conway added.<\/p>\n

Some victims found the courage to testify against their abusers. And as victims of human trafficking, they also qualify for the right to apply for visas and stay in the U.S., which had been their dream all along.<\/p>\n

\u201cWithout the brave cooperation of some of the victims,\u201d Conway said, \u201cit would have been more difficult to shut down the Botsvynyuks\u2019 operation.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(\u00a0January has been declared National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month by the U.S. government. Human trafficking can take many forms, from forced servitude to sexual exploitation of children, and the FBI…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7857,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,16,648],"tags":[298],"class_list":["post-8830","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fbi","category-home-main-slider","category-other-voices","tag-sex-trafficking"],"yoast_head":"\nHuman Trafficking Ring Dismantled<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Story about how the FBI dismantled a human trafficking ring\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=8830\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Human Trafficking Ring Dismantled\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Story about how the FBI dismantled a human trafficking ring\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=8830\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"American Justice Notebook\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AmericanJusticeNotebook\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-01-27T23:47:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2015-01-28T00:07:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/FBI-Logo.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"636\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"658\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Raul\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Raul\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cjnotebook.com\\\/?p=8830#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cjnotebook.com\\\/?p=8830\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Raul\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cjnotebook.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/f5521baddca77b521f012298775186c0\"},\"headline\":\"Human Trafficking Ring Dismantled\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-01-27T23:47:32+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2015-01-28T00:07:56+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cjnotebook.com\\\/?p=8830\"},\"wordCount\":1015,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cjnotebook.com\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cjnotebook.com\\\/?p=8830#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cjnotebook.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2014\\\/12\\\/FBI-Logo.png\",\"keywords\":[\"Sex Trafficking\"],\"articleSection\":[\"FBI\",\"Home Main Slider\",\"Other Voices\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/cjnotebook.com\\\/?p=8830#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cjnotebook.com\\\/?p=8830\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cjnotebook.com\\\/?p=8830\",\"name\":\"Human Trafficking Ring Dismantled\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cjnotebook.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cjnotebook.com\\\/?p=8830#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cjnotebook.com\\\/?p=8830#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cjnotebook.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2014\\\/12\\\/FBI-Logo.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-01-27T23:47:32+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2015-01-28T00:07:56+00:00\",\"description\":\"Story about how the FBI dismantled a human trafficking ring\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/cjnotebook.com\\\/?p=8830\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cjnotebook.com\\\/?p=8830#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cjnotebook.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2014\\\/12\\\/FBI-Logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cjnotebook.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2014\\\/12\\\/FBI-Logo.png\",\"width\":636,\"height\":658,\"caption\":\"FBI Latest Hate Crime Report: Hate Crimes Down Slightly in America\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cjnotebook.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cjnotebook.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"American Justice Notebook\",\"description\":\""Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost." \u2014 Thomas Jefferson\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cjnotebook.com\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cjnotebook.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cjnotebook.com\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"American Justice Notebook\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cjnotebook.com\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cjnotebook.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cjnotebook.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2014\\\/07\\\/Justice-Scales.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cjnotebook.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2014\\\/07\\\/Justice-Scales.jpg\",\"width\":675,\"height\":231,\"caption\":\"American Justice Notebook\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cjnotebook.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/AmericanJusticeNotebook\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cjnotebook.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/f5521baddca77b521f012298775186c0\",\"name\":\"Raul\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/c7f80bd073aca2abc2fc18e390e13d00b72d9d3a81bca4fd53e3567b02efee6f?s=96&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/c7f80bd073aca2abc2fc18e390e13d00b72d9d3a81bca4fd53e3567b02efee6f?s=96&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/c7f80bd073aca2abc2fc18e390e13d00b72d9d3a81bca4fd53e3567b02efee6f?s=96&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Raul\"},\"description\":\"Raul Hernandez is a former journalist. He has worked as a newspaper reporter for more than 30 years at the El Paso Herald-Post, El Paso Times, Press Enterprise in Riverside, California and the Ventura County Star in California. He was a court reporter for more than 20 years.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/cjnotebook.com\\\/\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Human Trafficking Ring Dismantled","description":"Story about how the FBI dismantled a human trafficking ring","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=8830","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Human Trafficking Ring Dismantled","og_description":"Story about how the FBI dismantled a human trafficking ring","og_url":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=8830","og_site_name":"American Justice Notebook","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AmericanJusticeNotebook","article_published_time":"2015-01-27T23:47:32+00:00","article_modified_time":"2015-01-28T00:07:56+00:00","og_image":[{"width":636,"height":658,"url":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/FBI-Logo.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Raul","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Raul","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=8830#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=8830"},"author":{"name":"Raul","@id":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/#\/schema\/person\/f5521baddca77b521f012298775186c0"},"headline":"Human Trafficking Ring Dismantled","datePublished":"2015-01-27T23:47:32+00:00","dateModified":"2015-01-28T00:07:56+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=8830"},"wordCount":1015,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=8830#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/FBI-Logo.png","keywords":["Sex Trafficking"],"articleSection":["FBI","Home Main Slider","Other Voices"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=8830#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=8830","url":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=8830","name":"Human Trafficking Ring Dismantled","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=8830#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=8830#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/FBI-Logo.png","datePublished":"2015-01-27T23:47:32+00:00","dateModified":"2015-01-28T00:07:56+00:00","description":"Story about how the FBI dismantled a human trafficking ring","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=8830"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=8830#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/FBI-Logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/FBI-Logo.png","width":636,"height":658,"caption":"FBI Latest Hate Crime Report: Hate Crimes Down Slightly in America"},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/","name":"American Justice Notebook","description":""Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost." \u2014 Thomas Jefferson","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/#organization","name":"American Justice Notebook","url":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/Justice-Scales.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/Justice-Scales.jpg","width":675,"height":231,"caption":"American Justice Notebook"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AmericanJusticeNotebook"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/#\/schema\/person\/f5521baddca77b521f012298775186c0","name":"Raul","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c7f80bd073aca2abc2fc18e390e13d00b72d9d3a81bca4fd53e3567b02efee6f?s=96&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c7f80bd073aca2abc2fc18e390e13d00b72d9d3a81bca4fd53e3567b02efee6f?s=96&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c7f80bd073aca2abc2fc18e390e13d00b72d9d3a81bca4fd53e3567b02efee6f?s=96&r=g","caption":"Raul"},"description":"Raul Hernandez is a former journalist. He has worked as a newspaper reporter for more than 30 years at the El Paso Herald-Post, El Paso Times, Press Enterprise in Riverside, California and the Ventura County Star in California. He was a court reporter for more than 20 years.","sameAs":["https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8830","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8830"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8830\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8837,"href":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8830\/revisions\/8837"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7857"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8830"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8830"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8830"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}