A group of Superior Court judgments issued on April 22 impose a total of $6.79 million in civil penalties against a Middletown pawn shop and its operators for violations of Delaware’s racketeering statute. The Department of Justice’s Civil Division secured the judgment as the outcome of a 2017 civil racketeering complaint filed against Gold Fever […]

January serves as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Awareness Month, culminating in the annual observation of National Freedom Day on February 1. For many, this month presents an opportunity to refocus efforts to slow, and ultimately stop, human trafficking around the globe, but especially here in the United States. The [...]

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It has been over 16 year since Harold D'Souza arrived in the United States. He wanted to build a better life for himself and his family in the land of opportunities. Instead, Mr D'Souza ended up...

OSCE Special Representative for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings offers recommendations to governments on short-term responses to COVID-19:

“Human trafficking feeds off vulnerability. It is precisely when our global community is shaken by a crisis of this magnitude that our obligation to combat the exploitation of vulnerable people becomes most acute.”

The post OSCE PRESS RELEASE: COVID-19/Human Trafficking appeared first on Inter Press Service.

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ABSTRACT

The malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum traffics the virulence protein P. falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1) to the surface of infected red blood cells (RBCs) via membranous organelles, known as the Maurer’s clefts. We developed a method for efficient enrichment of Maurer’s clefts and profiled the protein composition of this trafficking organelle. We identified 13 previously uncharacterized or poorly characterized Maurer’s cleft proteins. We generated transfectants expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusions of 7 proteins and confirmed their Maurer’s cleft location. Using co-immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry, we generated an interaction map of proteins at the Maurer’s clefts. We identified two key clusters that may function in the loading and unloading of PfEMP1 into and out of the Maurer’s clefts. We focus on a putative PfEMP1 loading complex that includes the protein GEXP07/CX3CL1-binding protein 2 (CBP2). Disruption of GEXP07 causes Maurer’s cleft fragmentation, aberrant knobs, ablation of PfEMP1 surface expression, and loss of the PfEMP1-mediated adhesion. GEXP07 parasites have a growth advantage compared to wild-type parasites, and the infected RBCs are more deformable and more osmotically fragile.

IMPORTANCE The trafficking of the virulence antigen PfEMP1 and its presentation at the knob structures at the surface of parasite-infected RBCs are central to severe adhesion-related pathologies such as cerebral and placental malaria. This work adds to our understanding of how PfEMP1 is trafficked to the RBC membrane by defining the protein-protein interaction networks that function at the Maurer’s clefts controlling PfEMP1 loading and unloading. We characterize a protein needed for virulence protein trafficking and provide new insights into the mechanisms for host cell remodeling, parasite survival within the host, and virulence.

Key Points

The factors and mechanisms involved in vacuolar transport in plants, and in particular those directing vesicles to their target endomembrane compartment, remain largely unknown. To identify components of the vacuolar trafficking machinery, we searched for Arabidopsis modified transport to the vacuole (mtv) mutants that abnormally secrete the synthetic vacuolar cargo...

Voltage-gated potassium 11.1 (K_v11.1) channels play a critical role in repolarization of cardiomyocytes during the cardiac action potential (AP). Drug-mediated K_v11.1 blockade results in AP prolongation, which poses an increased risk of sudden cardiac death. Many drugs, like pentamidine, interfere with normal K_v11.1 forward trafficking and thus reduce functional K_v11.1 channel densities. Although class III antiarrhythmics, e.g., dofetilide, rescue congenital and acquired forward trafficking defects, this is of little use because of their simultaneous acute channel blocking effect. We aimed to test the ability of a combination of dofetilide plus LUF7244, a K_v11.1 allosteric modulator/activator, to rescue K_v11.1 trafficking and produce functional K_v11.1 current. LUF7244 treatment by itself did not disturb or rescue wild type (WT) or G601S-K_v11.1 trafficking, as shown by Western blot and immunofluorescence microcopy analysis. Pentamidine-decreased maturation of WT K_v11.1 levels was rescued by 10 μM dofetilide or 10 μM dofetilide + 5 μM LUF7244. In trafficking defective G601S-K_v11.1 cells, dofetilide (10 μM) or dofetilide + LUF7244 (10 + 5 μM) also restored K_v11.1 trafficking, as demonstrated by Western blot and immunofluorescence microscopy. LUF7244 (10 μM) increased I_Kv11.1 despite the presence of dofetilide (1 μM) in WT K_v11.1 cells. In G601S-expressing cells, long-term treatment (24–48 hour) with LUF7244 (10 μM) and dofetilide (1 μM) increased I_Kv11.1 compared with nontreated or acutely treated cells. We conclude that dofetilide plus LUF7244 rescues K_v11.1 trafficking and produces functional I_Kv11.1. Thus, combined administration of LUF7244 and an I_Kv11.1 trafficking corrector could serve as a new pharmacological therapy of both congenital and drug-induced K_v11.1 trafficking defects.

Detectives investigating a gang responsible for trafficking young women from Brazil to work in brothels in north London have made two arrests.

Alexis Martin was serving 21 years to life behind bars

U.S. prosecutors accused a former commander of the Honduran police of importing tons of cocaine into the United States on behalf of the country's president, a Trump ally.

Raul Cortes-Meza, 21, aka “Oscar”, a Mexican national, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Atlanta to sex trafficking of a minor from Mexico.

Two men have been arrested and charged in an indictment unsealed today with crimes related to sex trafficking. Tommy Handy and his nephew, Everett Cooney, were indicted by a federal grand jury in Little Rock, Ark., for conspiracy to commit sex trafficking and sex trafficking for their roles in using force, fraud and coercion to cause juvenile girls and adult women to engage in commercial sex acts.

Five defendants, all members or associates of an extended family, face potential life sentences after being found guilty of sex trafficking for participating in a scheme that lured young Central American women and girls into the Los Angeles area and forced them into prostitution. The defendants, four Guatemalan nationals and one Mexican citizen, were convicted on Feb. 11, 2009, of conspiracy; sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; and importation of aliens for purposes of prostitution.

A fish wholesaler, its owner and an employee have all pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia for the illegal purchase and sale of striped bass from the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River from 2003 through 2007.

Leonard Fox a/k/a Anton a/k/a “Daddy” pleaded guilty today to a federal civil rights charge for sex trafficking of minors. In U.S. District Court in Memphis, Fox admitted to recruiting and obtaining underage girls and arranging for those girls to engage in commercial sex acts for his financial benefit.

Jorge Flores-Rojas, 44, an undocumented Mexican national, was sentenced to 24 years in prison by Chief Judge Robert J. Conrad, Jr. in Charlotte, N.C., for two counts of sex trafficking of minors and one count of interstate transportation of an adult for purposes of commercial sex. Flores-Rojas pled guilty to the charges on Oct. 7, 2008.

Waquita Wallace pleaded guilty to the federal civil rights charge of sex trafficking. Wallace admitted to forcing a young woman to engage in commercial sex acts through a combination of force, fraud and coercion. Defendant Wallace also benefitted financially from the sex trafficking. She faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

Maximino Mondragon, 57, was sentenced today for his role in a scheme to smuggle Central American women and girls into the United States and to hold them in a condition of forced labor in the Houston area.

Twelve defendants, including eight Uzbekistan nationals, have been charged in a 45-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on May 6, 2009, on RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) charges related to labor racketeering, forced labor trafficking and immigration and other violations in 14 states.

A Massachusetts man has been charged in U.S. District Court in Boston with crimes related to the illegal importation and illegal trafficking of sperm whale teeth. On May 13, 2009, a federal grand jury sitting in Boston, returned an indictment that was unsealed today against David L. Place of Nantucket, Mass.

Today, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, U.S. Department of Homeland Secretary Janet Napolitano, and Director of National Drug Control Policy Gil Kerlikowske released President Obama’s strategy to stem the flow of illegal drugs and their illicit proceeds across the Southwest border and reduce associated crime and violence in the region.

Rodolfo Rodriguez Cabrera, 43, a Cuban national, and Henry Mantilla, 35, of Cape Coral, Fla., have been charged in a scheme to produce and sell counterfeit International Game Technology (IGT)-brand video gaming machines, commonly known as slot machines, and counterfeit IGT computer programs.

"Giving ICE agents the authority to investigate drug trafficking cases, enhancing information sharing capabilities between ICE and the DEA, and ensuring full participation in intelligence centers will strengthen our efforts to combat international narcotics smuggling, streamline operations and bring better intelligence to our front line personnel."

A federal grand jury in the District of Hawaii has indicted Rodney D. King, 43, and Sharon-Mae Nishimura, 30, both of Honolulu, on multiple counts of federal sex trafficking of adult women and minor female victims.

"Keeping guns out of the hands of the Mexican drug warlords is a top priority for the Department. It is a priority that the President and the Attorney General have promised to address quickly and aggressively."

Everett Cooney waived indictment and pleaded guilty in court in Little Rock, Ark., to a federal charge of sex trafficking an underage female. Chief U.S. District Judge J. Leon Holmes accepted Cooney’s guilty plea.

Today the Departments of Justice, State and Treasury announced coordinated actions against the Gulf Cartel/Los Zetas drug trafficking organization, now known as the "Company," in the latest in a series of efforts by the U.S. government to neutralize and dismantle this violent cartel.

A federal judge today sentenced Waquita Wallace to 20 years in prison and five years of supervised release for a federal civil rights charge of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion for compelling a young St. Louis woman to commit acts of prostitution.

Juan Cortes-Meza, a Mexican National, pleaded guilty in federal district court in Atlanta to sex trafficking offenses involving young Mexican women and girls. Otto Jaime Larios Perez, a Guatemalan National, also pleaded guilty today to making a false statement to law enforcement and, thereby, obstructing a human trafficking investigation.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) signed two Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) on Thursday, Aug. 6, 2009, to foster increased communication between participating agencies at the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Fusion Center and the International Organized Crime Intelligence and Operations Center (IOC-2).

Four men and one woman have been arrested on charges of conspiracy and sex trafficking of children, as well as forcing and coercing adults to engage in commercial sex acts.

The Justice Department announced the indictment of Alec Souphone Sou and Mike Mankone Sou, owners of Aloun Farm in Hawaii, and Thai labor recruiter William Khoo late yesterday for engaging in a conspiracy to commit forced labor and visa fraud.

Defendant Paul Raymond Green was sentenced late last week to 52 months in prison and three years of supervised release for his role in a scheme to prostitute minor females. Green, 23, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking.

Deputy Attorney General David W. Ogden and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Acting Director Kenneth E. Melson today announced the results of ATF’s Gun Runner Impact Team (GRIT) initiative, a 120-day deployment of ATF resources to the Houston Field Division to disrupt illegal firearms trafficking by Mexican drug cartels

A Moldovan national pleaded guilty today in federal court in Kansas City, Mo., for his role in a forced labor trafficking scheme that victimized workers in 14 states.

Tommy Handy, aka “Tom Tom,” waived indictment and pleaded guilty in federal court in Little Rock, Ark., to a federal charge of sex trafficking of an underage female.

Rodolfo Rodriguez Cabrera, 43, a Cuban national, was arraigned today in U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada on charges of producing and selling counterfeit slot machines and counterfeit computer programs.

A federal grand jury in Atlanta has indicted an Ellenwood, Ga., husband and wife, Juna Gwendolyn Babb, 54, and Michael J. Babb, 53, on charges of conspiracy, forced labor, document servitude, which is confiscating someone’s passport and visa, and harboring an alien for financial gain, the Justice Department announced.

Cristina Andres Perfecto of Nashville, Tenn., was sentenced late yesterday in federal court in Memphis to 190 months in prison for sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, sex trafficking of a juvenile and conspiracy.

An allegedly high-ranking leader of one of Mexico’s largest drug cartels, whose father allegedly heads a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel and is among Mexico’s most powerful drug kingpins, was extradited today from Mexico to face federal narcotics trafficking conspiracy charges in the United States.

Lloyd Mack Royal, III aka “Blyss”, aka “B”, aka “Furious” was convicted late yesterday of sex trafficking of minors and sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion, as well as firearm and drug charges.

Francisco Cortes-Meza, 26, of Mexico, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Richard W. Story in the Northern District of Georgia for sex trafficking in an organization that targeted young Mexican women.

Juan Cortes-Meza, 33, of  Mexico; Raul Cortes-Meza, 22, of Mexico; Edison Wagner Rosa Tort, 71, of Cartersville, Ga.; and Otto Jaime Larios Perez, 27, of Guatemala were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Richard W. Story for participating in sex trafficking in an organization targeting young Mexican women.

"For today’s Justice Department, our work to pursue human trafficking investigations and prosecutions and to support those who serve and assist victims is not simply a top priority. It’s also a source of great pride," said Attorney General Holder.

Rodney D. King, aka “Shadow,” pleaded guilty today to federal sex trafficking charges in the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii.

An indictment unsealed today in Philadelphia charged Omelyan Botsvynyuk, Stepan Botsvynyuk, Mykhaylo Botsvynyuk, Dmytro Botsvynyuk, and Yaroslav Botsvynyuk, a/k/a Yaroslav Churuk, with extortion and conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) for their alleged involvement in a human trafficking operation.

Carline Ceneus, Cabioch Bontemps and Willy Edouard have been indicted by a federal grand jury sitting in the Northern District of Florida for engaging in a conspiracy to commit forced labor and visa fraud involving Haitian nationals.