Law enforcement throughout the United States has recently set out to eradicate the country of a crime it calls Human Trafficking. Human Trafficking laws are a government response to a growing concern that people, primarily impoverished or illegal women and children, are being targeted and exploited by predators for various acts of domestic servitude. The victims are being forced to work for little or no pay in factories, home, restaurants, farms and more. They are also being forced to work as prostitutes. The recent focus of these new laws is Sex Crimes, i.e. Prostitution, Deriving Support from Prostitution and Pimping. The statutes distinguish victims who are eighteen and older from those who are under the age of eighteen. The laws are tougher where younger victims are involved.
A newly enacted statute in Massachusetts makes Human Trafficking and Trafficking for Sexual Servitude a crime. The law, Massachusetts General Law Chapter 265 Section 50 was enacted in 2011 and it mirrors similar sex trafficking laws established in other states. The Massachusetts law also follows the model set out in the Federal Human Trafficking Statute. The crime itself is a felony and a conviction for this crime will result in mandatory registration before the Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board (SORB).
The elements the district attorney must prove beyond a reasonable to secure a conviction for this crime are that the accused knowingly gets or tries to get someone to engage in commercial sexual activity or that someone receives some sort of benefit, financial or otherwise as a result of these actions. The law is extremely broad as it seeks to punish anyone involved in this activity no matter how remote this conduct might be. The Massachusetts law targets more than human sex traffickers. It looks to punish facilitators, provide tools for law enforcement and assist victims financially and otherwise.
Massachusetts Human Trafficking PenaltiesAnyone convicted of a human trafficking will be sentenced to a minimum mandatory five year state prison sentence. That sentence must be served. The statute provides a maximum sentence of twenty years in state prison. A twenty-five thousand dollar fine may also be imposed. If however the victim of the crime is under the age of eighteen the defendant can be sentenced to life in prison. People who have been convicted of Human Trafficking in Massachusetts on a prior occasion are punished more severely. The prior conviction mandates a ten year state prison sentence and sentence of life in prison may ordered by a judge. There is no parole, early release, furlough relief or alternative sentencing available after a conviction for this offense. District attorneys take an aggressive approach towards prosecuting these cases. This makes it necessary for you to find a criminal defense lawyer who is properly prepared to fight for you at all stages of the prosecution.
Human Trafficking and Other Massachusetts Sex CrimesRecently in Massachusetts there has been a blurring of the lines between the crime of Human Trafficking and other established Massachusetts Sex Crimes. Federal and state law enforcement task force grants have empowered the government to investigate massage parlors, online adult advertisements and solicitations, chat groups and more with an eye towards prosecuting human trafficking. Prostitutes trying to avoid jail now take on the role of the victim. When exposed by the police they claim coercion and readily identify their pimp as oppressive and coercive thereby avoiding a Prostitution complaint. Trends like this make it imperative that when charged with a felony sex crime such as Human Trafficking you find a lawyer who is skilled in defending sex crimes.
Boston, Massachusetts Sex Crimes Defense LawyerAttorney Stephen Neyman has over twenty-five years experience successfully defending against serious felony sex crimes allegations. He has been defending Human Trafficking Charges since the inception of the law.