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43 DOMESTIC SEX TRAFFICKING: A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE A Practical Guide for Law Enforcement, Legislators, Service Providers, and Community Members Prepared by Polaris Project Fast, I got to find out the secrets of pimping. I really want to control the whole whore. I want to be the boss of her life, even her thoughts. I got to con them that Lincoln never freed the slaves. Iceberg Slim, Pimp The Need For and Origin Of This Guide Human trafficking is modern-day slavery, and it has reached untold proportions both on a global scale and here in the United States. In this heinous violation of human dignity, unscrupulous traffickers ruthlessly pursue endless profits by preying on the hopes and vulnerabilities of men, women, and children around the world. There is no one consistent image of a trafficking victim. Instead, trafficked persons can be rich or poor, men or women, adults or children, and foreign nationals or U.S. citizens. They are trafficked for a wide variety of purposes, such as commercial sex or agricultural work, house-keeping or stripping, yet they all share the loss of one of our world s most cherished rights: freedom. This guide is an in-depth exploration into what is commonly referred to as domestic sex trafficking, or pimping, victimizing hundreds of thousands of women and girls as one of the most prevalent forms of human trafficking in the United States today. The information contained within comes from the direct experiences of survivors, extensive research, books and articles, and the day-today service and outreach experiences of Polaris Project, a Washington, DC-based grassroots non-profit formed to combat modern-day slavery. Broadening the Paradigm: A New Lens for Combating Trafficking in the United States An assessment of the anti-trafficking movement in the United States since the passage of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000 reveals an imbalance and disproportionate allocation of resources for U.S. citizen victims. Due to a widespread past assumption that human trafficking involves only border crossing and predominantly affects foreign nationals in our country, a multi-year trend has persisted throughout our country s public and private sectors that emphasizes, almost exclusively, forms of sex and labor trafficking that involve immigrants. From , this trend was generally reflected in training materials, journal articles, media stories, the language choice of many anti-trafficking advocates, research studies, keynote speeches, characteristics of many government grantees, and government grants victims service requirements. Even the ubiquitous State Department statistic of 14,500-17,500 individuals trafficked into the United States each year, without clarification, gives the false impression to readers and listeners that the estimated numbers cover the total amount of annual trafficking in the U.S. However, what is often not explained when these statistics are cited is that they represent only transnational trafficking of immigrants and do not include estimates of internally trafficked persons who live in or originate from the United States. Our general experience over the past four years reveals that when human trafficking is commonly discussed, domestic or internal trafficking is often 1

44 brought up only as an after-thought, an exception, a footnote, or a caveat. However, this is not a problem that is unique to the United States. Most all countries initially seem to be more willing to address the transnational problem first, rather than the problem within their own borders of their own citizens. Polaris Project is an agency that is committed to serving both foreign national and U.S. citizen victims of human trafficking, and has the flexibility and cultural capacity to do so. Our current caseload report totals 49 past and/or current foreign national clients and 33 past and/or current U.S. citizen clients. Hence, by advocating for an increased inclusion of U.S. citizen victims in the overall trafficking paradigm, it is by no means our intention to detract attention or resources from immigrant victims in a sort-of see-saw effect. This result would negatively impact a majority of the trafficked persons that we continue to serve. Rather, we advocate for a broadening of the lens to equalize levels of attention and afford U.S. citizen victims a fair share of the rights and services that we feel they deserve. While U.S. citizens can be trafficked for forms of both labor and sex, this guide focuses generally on domestic sex trafficking (a.k.a., pimping). Because domestic sex trafficking is a newly emerging focus of the anti-trafficking movement, widespread myths and gaps in knowledge about pimping remain prevalent. It is our hope that this work product is a useful and timely resource for the field, and one that generates constructive dialogue and action. For any questions or comments, we encourage you to contact Polaris Project at

45 DOMESTIC SEX TRAFFICKING (A.K.A. PIMPING) ELABORATED A Brief Overview: The Elements of the Crime of Human Trafficking are Present In the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000, sex trafficking is defined as: the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act. Also defined in the TVPA, the legal definition of severe forms of trafficking in persons is: o sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such an act has not attained 18 years of age; or o the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery. It is important to note that nowhere in the TVPA requires that victims be from other countries or cross borders. Hence, trafficked persons can be from other countries as well as from the same country where they are trafficked. Domestic sex trafficking (or internal trafficking) definitively involves the actions, means, and purposes that meet both the definition for sex trafficking and severe forms of trafficking in persons, including elements of recruiting, transporting, and obtaining; elements of force, fraud, and coercion, as elaborated below; and the inducement of commercial sex acts. As defined in the UN Protocol, as well as the TVPA, the notion of consent is considered irrelevant when elements of trafficking are present. Please view the below chart for examples of the presence of force, fraud, and coercion in domestic sex trafficking. FORCE -Beating/Slapping -Beating with Objects (bat, tools, chains, belts, hangers, canes, cords) -Burning -Sexual Assault -Rape/Gang Rape -Confinement/Locked in -Torture Practices -Seasoning/Initiation FRAUD -False promises -Deceitful enticing and affectionate behavior -Withholding wages -Lying about working conditions -Lying about the promise of a better life -Preying on desperation and poverty -Blackmail, extortion COERCION -Threats of serious harm or restraint -Threatened abuse of legal process -Intimidation/Humiliation (Pimp circle) -Emotional Abuse -Climate of Fear -Modeling abusive behavior -Controlling daily life skills -Creating dependency -Establishing quotas Domestic Sex Trafficking in the Federal and State Criminal Paradigm Contrary to popular belief, any given individual pimp has often committed a long rap sheet of serious crimes. Major crimes that most all pimps have committed through the course of their criminal behavior include: 3

46 Sex trafficking (U.S.C. 1591) Involuntary servitude (U.S.C 1584) Physical/Sexual assault Assault with a deadly weapon Kidnapping Sexual abuse of a minor Money laundering Tax evasion False and fraudulent identities Fraudulent checks Racketeering Child pornography Pandering Falsifying business records The Pimp Subculture You gotta pimp by the rules of that pimp book those noble studs wrote a hundred years ago. The pimp culture, sometimes referred to as the game, is a powerful criminal subculture, with group-enforced norms of behavior, fashion, language, and ethics. In this subculture, there are nearubiquitous rules to which all pimps must adhere. These rules are rooted in the history of pimping, and have been passed down from generation to generation since the late 1800 s through both written and oral means. As a result, present-day pimps engage in consistent and fairly homogenous conforming behaviors that span across time and geography in urban, suburban, and rural areas throughout the United States. For law enforcement purposes, it is beneficial to know that the pimps operating in one part of the country are nationally representative of pimps behaviors in other parts of the country. The Essence of Pimping Generally, pimping involves a complex relationship between a male pimp and one or more women and/or girls. In this relationship, the pimp wields complete control and domination and induces commercial sex acts in order to make money. The pimp attains authoritative levels of control and obedience through a combination of intense manipulation and feigned affection, brutal violence, and verbal, psychological, and/or emotional abuse. In the pimp relationship, the pimp is motivated primarily by the pursuit of money. He keeps all the money from the commercial sex acts of the women and girls he controls and prides himself on achieving higher and higher levels of blind obedience. In Their Own Words The following are excerpts and direct quotes from pimps in written materials and commercial videos. They reveal various aspects of the pimp mentality: 4

47 "Another girl got shot five times, I get to the scene and the girl says, 'Daddy, I want to get up from here so I can go get your money.' Her momma said, 'What have you done to my daughter?' I didn't do nothing, that's dedication." You have to control a woman s mind without physical abuse by selling her a dream. Besides, if you beat a woman and destroy her face, how can she get your money? You ve gotta tell the woman that she s only good for one thing. I m the boss, the daddy. She brings the money home. Real Pimps Within the pimp subculture, pimps erect a prestigious and coveted notion of what it means to be a real pimp. This status entails a common set of required behaviors, including achieving total control over a group of women and girls, commanding their obedience and slave-like submission, forcing them to provide commercial sex, and then keeping all the profits. By creating an elite status within their subculture that younger pimps strive to attain, pimps set a high standard of what is required for acceptance, similar to hazing or initiation rituals. In the pimp subculture, like a cult, these powerful norms have reached a critical mass that motivates widespread conformity by positively reinforcing certain behaviors and rejecting deviants. When applied to the trafficking paradigm, to be a real pimp means to engage in behaviors that constitute human trafficking. In this sense, pimping should be considered synonymous with human trafficking. In this guide, it is referred to as domestic sex trafficking. Down To a Science Pimpology: The Rules and Techniques of Being a Real Pimp Numerous investigations and arrests of pimps nationwide have revealed various forms of evidence demonstrating how frequently pimps adhere to the notion of rules. For example, in a recent arrest of a pimp from Queens, NY, officers found a 3-page Pimp Rule Book written on pages of loose-leaf notebook paper. As revealed in this and other similar lists, as well as extrapolated from experience, a sampling of the formal rules of pimping are detailed below: The Term Daddy : Women and girls under a pimp s control must never know his real name or identity and refer to him exclusively as daddy. Eye Contact: A woman or girl may not ever make eye contact with another pimp. If this rule is broken, the woman or girl suffers serious physical violence. Sidewalks and Streets: As indicated by the term Pimps Up, Ho s Down, women and girls must always exist in lower ways than the pimp, including by standing only on the street during street prostitution. A woman or girl who ventures onto the sidewalk is severely reprimanded or forced into what is known as a pimp circle. Quotas: Pimps set nightly monetary quotas that the women or girls must reach through providing commercial sex or theft. Many of these rules were codified in the seminal book entitled Pimp: The Story of My Life by a notorious Chicago pimp named Iceberg Slim. Although he was involved in pimping and the pimp subculture from the late 1930 s through the 1970 s, Iceberg Slim s book is still regarded 5

48 today as one of the most influential books about pimping that thousands of pimps strive to emulate. Combined with the power of oral tradition and word-of-mouth, many of the techniques described in the book are eerily present in all the major domestic sex trafficking investigations and arrests that have come to light in recent years. For example, Slim recommends whipping with a wire coat hanger as a means of controlling a woman or girl, and today, many pimps pride themselves on continuing to inflict pain with a coat hanger. Tapping into Time-Tested Torture Techniques Various researchers have studied the types and effects of torture through historical and crosscultural comparisons of major repressive regimes, prison systems, wars, and dictatorships. The general crux of the research indicates a common set of scientific torture behaviors that consistently lead to complete human obedience and a breakdown of personal agency and autonomy. Not unlike other situations of complete control or even domestic violence, pimps engage in a set of behaviors that are entirely in-line with general torture regimes. These behaviors are outlined in the following modified chart (modified from Bindeman s Chart of Coercion): Torture Method Behavioral Variations Pimp s Behavior Isolation Solitary confinement; semiconfinement; group isolation Locking in closets, in rooms, in trunks of cars Monopolization of Perception Physical isolation; restricted movement; monotonous food Isolation from other women and girls in stable Induced Debility Exhaustion Semi-starvation, over-exertion, sleep deprivation, prolonged constraint Starvation, sleep deprivation, forced to provide commercial sex for 48 hours straight Threats Threats of death, of endless Consistent daily threats isolation, of non-return, and against family Occasional Indulgences Occasional favors, fluctuations Occasional affection behavior of attitudes, promises Demonstrating Omnipotence Demonstrating complete Enforcing God-like power Degradation control over victim s fate Demeaning punishments, insults, taunts, denial of privacy, preventing personal hygiene and control Constantly using the word bitch, ; constant emotional abuse Enforcing Trivial Demands Enforcement of minute rules Forcing others to tie pimp s shoes, etc. The Language and Terminology of the Pimp Subculture The following is a sample glossary of terms that are heavily used throughout the pimp culture in street prostitution. These terms have been collected from direct experience, survivor stories, various online sources, and law enforcement trainings. Skill and verbal dexterity in the usage of the terms is one means of building trust with domestic sex trafficking victims. 6

49 Daddy a term used to describe one s own pimp, evoking images of fatherhood. P.I. a term used when referring to another pimp. Bottom or Bottom Bitch the woman who s been with the pimp the longest and often takes on a mid-level controlling role to keep other victims in line. Dates, Johns, and Tricks terms used to describe buyers of commercial sex. Square a term used that describes trying to go straight and get out of the life, or that describes law enforcement and those that don t understand the game. The Stroll or Track the common area or cross-streets where street prostitution is known to occur on a nightly basis. Pimp circle the process of multiple pimps swarming and surrounding one woman or girl and hissing insults at her, for the purposes of humiliation and intimidation. Wife in Law each individual in a group of women or girls that are with the same pimp. Family and folks also are synonyms. Stable refers to the group of women and girls under a pimp s control (i.e., a pimp s stable). Turning Out the process of grooming or seasoning a woman or girl towards being ready to provide commercial sex to strangers. Trunking disciplining a woman or girl by locking her in the trunk of a car for long periods of time. Gorilla Pimps pimps who are known to be particularly brutal and violent towards the women and girls through vicious physical assault. Out of Pocket a term used to describe when a woman or girl breaks the rules by making eye contact with another pimp. Players and Macks other terms used to describe pimps. Renegade a woman who tries to prostitute without a pimp. It Goes in the Family: Learned Behavior, Modeling, and Families of Pimps While some pimps come to their criminal behavior on their own and operate individually, many actually are groomed to become a pimp from an early age. They may have grown up in a family that engaged in domestic sex trafficking while they were young, or they may have learned the rulebook of pimping from certain family members or friends. Similar to other examples of parental modeling, pimps often do not come to the criminal life in a vacuum. Rather, their behavior is part of a larger web of influences, reinforcements, and examples. In addition to the familial influence to become a pimp, families also directly engage in domestic sex trafficking as a group or clan. The history of pimping in the United States reveals numerous examples of families of traffickers where a given trafficking operation involved husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, and aunts and uncles. For example, in the Evans case, over 10 family members were charged and convicted in criminal court for breaking laws related to pimping and exploitation. Other cases have revealed smaller scale families operating a sex trafficking operation with an average of 2-4 family members. The Decision to Pimp: A Logical Criminal Calculation 7

50 Like most anyone operating in a self-interested manner, individuals often engage in complex calculations and cost-benefit analyses to chart the course of their own lives. These complex decisions occur at all the major stages in life, including the choice to enter undergraduate and graduate education, and especially, the choice of one s profession. Similar to these more mainstream decisions, these same calculations also affect traffickers decisions to engage in a particular type of criminal behavior. The various options that they weigh are influenced by the amounts of profit that they can gain and the levels of criminal risk that they may take on. Whether thinking about engaging in robbery, drug trafficking, contraband sales, or other criminal behaviors, criminals often ask themselves simple questions such as How much money can I make? How fast? And what is the chance that I ll get caught by the police? LOW RISK - Given current levels of public awareness about domestic sex trafficking, mainstream acceptance and glorification of pimp culture, victim-blaming attitudes towards women and girls, and relatively low levels of law enforcement activity nationwide, the decision to engage in domestic sex trafficking is characterized by current levels of fairly low risk for individuals and families. HIGH PROFIT By using force, fraud, and coercion to induce both minors and adults to engage in commercial sex acts, traffickers can make considerable (tax-free) profits from their criminal operation. Polaris Project recently conducted an informal analysis of a pimp s wages, based on direct client accounts. One teenage girl was forced to meet quotas of $500/night, 7 days a week and gave the money to her trafficker each night. This particular pimp also controlled three other women. Based on these numbers, Polaris Project estimates that the pimp made $632,000 in one year from controlling four young women and girls and forcing them to engage in commercial sex acts. Initial Recruiting Behavior: Erecting the Front of False Love and Selling the Dream Like many domestic violence situations and other trafficking scenarios, domestic sex trafficking often begins with an initial recruitment period during which the trafficker engages in friendly and enticing behavior. Initial warmth and congeniality works towards creating a dynamic of trust and lowered boundaries. In the pimp s mind, this initial period is critical to attaining long-term mindcontrol and dependence from a woman or girl. A common scenario involves a pimp engaging in wooing and romancing behavior for a woman or girl by showering her with affection, gifts, attention, and compliments. This front of false love may include elements of a committed emotional and sexual relationship, such as becoming the boyfriend or articulating an elaborate story that seems to lead towards love and marriage. During this intensely manipulative period, pimps use sex and physical intimacy as an insidious guise of affection, all the while plotting towards a long-term goal of profiting off the woman or girl s body through forcing her into commercial sex. This behavior represents the essence of commodification and dehumanization where the bodies of women and girls are seen exclusively as a means to the end of making money. Purposeful and Pre-Meditated Targeting of Vulnerability By their own words, pimps often directly and purposefully target women and girls who they perceive may have some sort of unmet need or vulnerability. They target runaways and throwaways. They prey on women and girls who may seem lost, alone, sad, hurting, or friendless. They jump on windows of opportunity when women and girls are particularly vulnerable, such as just after being released from jail or prison. Moreover, pimps have learned 8

51 to recognize victims of sexual abuse and rape, and they purposefully target these victims by manipulating their past and current pain. Child Predators in Our Midst: Targeting Minors Pimps frequently prey on children due to the naivete and vulnerability of youth. They fundamentally betray and exploit the precious forms of innocence and natural trust that children possess. In the pimps criminal calculation and incentive structure, not only are children easier to control and manipulate, it is also the case that virginity and youthful appearance are marketable traits that make high amounts of money in the commercial sex industry. This purposeful targeting of minors contributes to the reality that the average age of entry into prostitution in the United States is approximately 13 years old. In the Federal criminal statutes formed out of the TVPA of 2000 (see U.S.C 1591), all minors who are recruited into providing commercial sex are automatically considered victims of human trafficking. The legal justification for this statutory structure is that minors are not capable of giving sexual consent, regardless of the presence or absence of force, fraud, or coercion. It is also important to note that because of this average age of entry, many of the adult women in prostitution that law enforcement and service providers encounter were minors when they first entered the commercial sex industry. Common Lures The following is a listing of common lures and pick-up lines used by pimps to entice women and girls into their pre-meditated web of violence, exploitation, and control: You re so pretty You could be a model I bet you get attention from all the boys I love you You re so sexy What s wrong? No one appreciates you like I do No one will be there for you like I will I ll always take care of you I ll always be there for you Dollars, Diamonds, and Dreams: The False Promise of Fast Money During the initial recruitment phase, pimps often make elaborate promises about how they offer the chance to make fast money with little effort. They spin tall tales about traveling the country, driving fancy cars, and living in mansions. Overall, they construct an image of a dream life that they ll share with a woman or girl. Of course, these promises are all lies and merely serve as another means of manipulation and mind-control. In the trafficking paradigm, these false promises would fall within the category of fraud and deceit. 9

52 An Ongoing Search for Victims and the Relentless Pursuit of Wealth and Power To a pimp, there s nothing more important than copping whores. When boiled down to its essence, domestic sex trafficking is motivated by the greedy and vain desire for money and power. In this world view, women and girls are viewed as mere commodities and as a means of acquiring money through the use of their bodies for commercial sex. When a pimp sees a woman or girl, it does not mentally register that she is a human being with thoughts and feelings or that she is deserving of certain inalienable universal human rights. Instead, he sees her as a product for sale, a piece of property, and a ticket towards the money and power that the sale of her body can help attain. On this point, it is important to note that from a pimp s eyes, nearly every woman or girl represents a potential source of money for him, even if he is able to control her only temporarily. If there is a high school with 2000 girls in attendance, the predatory-minded pimp views any of those 2000 girls as a product for which someone will demand enough to pay for commercial sex. Not taken lightly, this is a profoundly scary thought for the safety of women and girls nationwide, any of whom could be the target of a pimp. In Broad Daylight: Frequent Recruiting Locations Like scouts with tireless eyes, pimps are almost always in the process of trying to lure and recruit women and girls to join their stable. In contrast to the notion that pimps somehow operate in the underground markets or in the shadows, it truly is the case that these traffickers operate in broad daylight blatantly and flagrantly in public. The following are a list of locations where pimps are known to frequently recruit: Bus stations Group homes Homeless shelters Halfway houses Restaurants and bars Parks and playgrounds Pimps in the Schools: Recruiting at the Schoolyard Because pimps target youth, both for the purposes of vulnerability and naivete, combined with increased value on the commercial sex market, they naturally gravitate toward the few consistent places where there are the largest predictable concentrations of children: schools. There have been numerous examples nationwide of pimps recruiting directly in junior high schools and high schools or sending girls under their control to recruit other girls on the pimp s behalf. Pimps in the Courtroom: Recruiting from within the Criminal Justice System In their constant and relentless pursuit of money and power, pimps will also resort to any means necessary to recruit women and girls for their stable. These means often lead pimps to even enter the criminal justice system to recruit women and girls inside courtrooms and in the 10

53 hallways and waiting areas of the court building. Pimps interface with the judicial system at many entry points for recruitment, including: Sitting in lock-up court to recruit women and girls during status hearings after a first night in jail Sitting in misdemeanor court to recruit women and girls at various points during the course of their criminal case Recruiting women and girls in hallways after they have been released from a court hearing Recruiting women and girls outside the court building after they walk outside Pimps in the Foster Homes: Recruiting from within the Child Protective System Because pimps target women and girls with various vulnerabilities, notably runaways, throwaways, and those with histories of physical and sexual abuse as children, pimps logically gravitate toward those areas where women and girls with these characteristics may be present in high proportions. For this reason, pimps target foster homes, group homes, group shelters, and other entry points within the child protective system for recruiting behavior. The Transition from Healthy Self-Boundaries to Commercial Sex with Strangers: Grooming and Seasoning in Pimp Culture Given norms of adolescent development, the vast majority of women and girls who come under the control of a pimp are not immediately and readily willing to have commercial sex with complete strangers for money. Understandably, pimps recognize that an individual needs to be broken down in certain ways before they are able to allow strangers to penetrate their sexual boundaries. The process of breaking-down a girl from healthy adolescent sexual boundaries to commercial sex with strangers is often referred to as grooming or seasoning. It is a systematic process that has been documented and replicated nationwide, and in other forms of sex trafficking involving other criminal networks. In essence, this process aims to achieve complete control over someone s identity or individuality using a combination of physical, mental, and emotional means. In the trafficking paradigm, this process involves force, fraud, and coercion, as elaborated below. Elements of Seasoning and Control FORCE The following examples outline the ways that domestic sex traffickers use forms and variations of force to control their victims: Beating/Slapping/Whipping With hands, fists, and kicking, as well as with objects such as bats, tools, chains, belts, hangers, canes, and cords Burning Of personal items and items of meaning to foster hopelessness and demoralization or directly burning women and girls using cigarette/cigar butts Sexual assault Rape or gang rape Confinement Using torture practices such as confinement to lock women and girls in closets, trunks of cars, or rooms for indeterminate amounts of time. 11

54 Other Torture Techniques Such as deprivation of food or water or various forms of bondage such as chaining individuals to items or tying them up. These statements are evidenced by Polaris past client caseload, where, of a sample of over 30 clients of domestic sex trafficking: 100 percent experienced physical assault with hands or fists; 100 percent experienced assault with objects; and, 100 percent experienced sexual assault or rape Elements of Seasoning and Control EMOTIONAL ABUSE Traffickers use an elaborate pattern of emotional abuse to control the minds of their victims and break down a sense of self-identity. This web of emotional abuse involves direct verbal insults including ceasing to refer to the individual by name and only calling them bitch, slut, ho, or whore. Name-calling results in a process of slowly erasing the woman s identity. Further, pimps may even re-name the woman and claim that he owns her by re-naming her. Verbal abuse also results in the breakdown of the victim s self-esteem through constant degradation, intimidation, and humiliation. Victims are repeatedly told that no one cares about them, that they are worthless, that they have no other skills, and that they cannot do anything but prostitute. Emotional abuse also takes on the form of emotional blackmail. The pimp may tell the victim that if she really loved him, she would prostitute for him. He might also blame the victim for having to hurt her. The abuse also takes on the form of creating dependencies by dictating all the minutiae of the individual s daily life. This process includes instructing how to walk, how to talk, what to wear, when to eat, what to eat, when to sleep, and where to sleep. Combined with the climate of fear and constant threat that victims live under, these instructions become powerful mandates for behavior. Additionally, the emotional abuse involves elements of mind control, brainwashing, and mental re-programming to inculcate certain thought patterns. For example, after breaking a girl s arm with a bat, a pimp may ask, How did you break your arm? In response, she ll answer, You did. Then, he ll punch her in the face, and ask again, How did you break your arm? He ll repeat this process until she finally answers, I did. It was my fault. These elements of mind control help to reinforce and punish the women and girls into a false belief that their own abuse is their own fault or their choice to endure. Elements of Seasoning and Control ANNIHILATING SUPPORT STRUCTURES Another key element of the seasoning process involves removing the victim from their familiar surroundings and their support structure. Pimps will immediately take a woman or girl away from their family, friends, or even acquaintances and bring her to an entirely unfamiliar environment fraught with uncertainty and dependency. This calculated move ensures that the victim is methodically stripped of any safety net or avenues to seek help. The pimp makes sure to shut all the doors of opportunity to receive help and to remove all the checks and balances that serve as potential reminders of a sense of normalcy or familiarity. It is in this new foreign environment that control tactics have a magnified effect and the pimp is able to wield more complete domination. For example, the pimp may erode the victim s trust in the legal process 12

55 by reassuring her that she will be arrested for prostitution and that he will not be arrested for pimping. He often also confiscates her identification documents (ID, birth certificate, social security number) to make it difficult for her to access any institutional systems. Elements of Seasoning and Control SEXUAL EDUCATION The process of seasoning also includes elements of a forced sexual education, particularly for young girls with little to no knowledge of the various types of sex. Pimps will methodically show women and girls pornography for the dual purpose of a strict teaching tool but also to begin the process of desensitization to images of nudity, genitalia, sex acts, and other depictions. Elements of Seasoning and Control THE ROLE OF TRANSPORTATION To complete the process of seasoning and control, pimps use the initial displacing move combined with frequent transportation to keep the women and girls in their stable in a constant sense of disorientation. Frequent movement accomplishes multiple ends for a pimp. First, it ensures fresh faces and bodies for the commercial sex customers in a given locale. Second, it enables the criminal operation to fly under the radar of law enforcement by moving quickly before they are detected or investigated. Third, it allows the pimp to constantly tap new cash-rich markets around the country. And lastly, it prevents the women and girls from establishing any semblance of social support or trusted relationships in a given community. In Polaris Project s client service experience, one of the first questions that many of our domestic sex trafficking clients have asked us is Excuse me, but what city am I in? Notably, this frequency of transportation makes a pimp vulnerable to Mann Act charges. The Role of Money and Debt in the Pimp Relationship Boiled down to its very essence, money is oftentimes the primary motivating factor driving pimp behavior. Pimps enter into their criminal behavior due to the desire to make money. In fact, nearly all of the aspects of domestic sex trafficking and decisions made by traffickers can be traced back to the root of money. Hence, money and the notion of debt play very critical roles as control mechanisms for women and girls under the control of a pimp. Quotas It is widely-known and well-documented that pimps establish nightly monetary quotas that the women and girls under their control must make in order to end each night of commercial sex. These quotas typically fall in the range of $500 - $1,000 each night. Through whatever means necessary (including forced theft), the woman or girl must reach these quotas each night to be allowed to eat or sleep. If she does not make enough money, the woman or girl will be forced back out into her venue of commercial sex until she reaches her quota. Quotas are strictly enforced, and the punishment for failing to meet a quota is severe physical retaliation from the pimp or other torture methods. It is also essential to note that in pimp-controlled situations, the women and girls keep zero of this money and turn over 100 percent of the profits to the pimp. 13

56 Because of the relentless pursuit of money and the commodification of the women s bodies in the eyes of the pimp, these quotas are also enforced with complete disregard for the well-being or feelings of the woman or girl. For example, if a woman or girl is sick or tired, she is forced to meet her quota. If the genitalia of the woman or girl is sore or raw from vigorous and repetitive sex, she is forced to meet her quota. If the woman has been raped by a customer the previous night and is suffering severe mental health effects, she is forced to meet her quota. Finally, if a woman or girl is menstruating, she is still forced to meet her quota. More infrequent examples have revealed instances of pimps enforcing quotas across a longer period of time, such as weekly quotas, or even yearly quotas on a particular woman or girl. Quotas are also adjusted by the pimp to be responsive to market forces. In areas of higher demand, higher-end clientele, or during high-demand events, pimps often increase the nightly quotas that they enforce to higher amounts. Can I use $2 dollars to buy some hot chocolate? Total Monetary Control When a woman or girl is under a pimp s domination, it is assumed and understood by all parties involved that the pimp controls 100 percent of the money. The women or girls are not allowed to keep some for themselves or spend the pimp s money without his permission. This understanding is strictly enforced at the threat of severe physical retaliation. As a result, women or girls under pimp-control live in a state of constant fear and obedience to never spend a cent of the pimp s money. Pimps are even known to check the woman s breath when she comes home for evidence of food she may have purchased with his money. As evidence of the power of a pimp s dominion, these monetary rules are obeyed even when the pimp is not present. In fact, in one case example, a woman was providing commercial sex in a different city than the pimp s location, but after standing out in the freezing cold on the streets for hours, even though she was holding on to hundreds of dollars in cash, she still called the pimp to ask, Daddy, can I use $2 of your money to buy a cup of hot chocolate? How much income do pimps really make? The following are examples intended to demonstrate how pimps make money off the women and girls held under their control. Much or all of this income can be evaded from Federal reporting and taxes. In 2002, Oakland police identified 218 minors actively being prostituted by 155 pimps. The girls ranged in age from years old. Each girl had a quota of approximately $500 a night, all of which would go to the pimp girls multiplied by 300 days a year at $500/day amounts to revenue of approximately $32,700,000 a year, or approximately $211,000/year per pimp. Polaris Project, a Washington, DC-based nonprofit working with victims of human trafficking recently conducted an informal analysis of a pimp s wages, based on direct client accounts. One teenage girl was forced to meet quotas of $500/night, 7 days a week and gave the money to her trafficker each night. This particular pimp also controlled three other women. Based on these numbers, Polaris Project estimates that the pimp made $632,000 in one year from four young women and girls. 1 Oakland fights to turn tide of rising child prostitution, Oakland Tribune, July 31,

57 Other past Polaris clients have described higher quotas of up to $1000/night and more, all of which they turned over to their pimp each night. A Dutch man, known as Big Pimpin Pappy ran what police said was the largest callgirl ring in South Florida history. Fort Lauderdale police documented his gross earnings conservatively at $6 million a year. In 2003, he was featured in Forbes magazine in an article entitled Wages of Sin. The article described a lawsuit he filed, while in prison, against a credit card company that withheld money from his escort business. He won $3 million. 2 Income Hiding Behaviors Although domestic sex traffickers are not known to engage in particularly sophisticated money laundering activities, they still do engage in a range of amateur income hiding and laundering behaviors. The following list details various ways that pimps attempt to obscure their criminal behavior. Avoiding Deposits of Large Sums of Cash - Traffickers know how the financial systems work and use this knowledge to work within and outside the system. For example, pimps know not to regularly deposit more than $10,000 into a bank account because the IRS tracks deposits of large sums of money, especially if it is frequent. Pimps may deposit $9,000 on a monthly basis so that the transaction isn t flagged and find numerous ways to launder the cash for other purposes. Using Other s Names for Purchases - Traffickers may use other people s names (i.e. young girls with good credit, names of parents, names of friends) to purchase homes and cars. In many cases, the person with the name being used may not even be aware that it is being used. Making Large Purchases in Cash - When a pimp wants to buy a car, he may hear of a dealership that is friendly to receiving cash payments. Pimps pay for the luxury cars in cash and usually do not receive complaints because of the commission involved in the exchange. The person at the car dealership may take a cut of the cash and record the transaction differently in the books. Using Fraudulent Credit Cards and Fake Checks - In addition to the use of overseas accounts, domestic accounts, and cash, traffickers also use credit cards and fake checks. Traffickers will be in touch with individuals who have access to legitimate credit card numbers. Sometimes, they may know someone who works at a legitimate business who steals the credit cards of vulnerable populations (i.e. elderly) and order things online to be shipped to different addresses. Other time, the individual may apply for credit cards themselves by using someone s social security number and then sending the credit card to a different address. Similarly, traffickers work with (or are themselves) individuals who use connections to people working in an accounting department to reroute legitimate checks to a different account or write fake checks. Bribery and Payoffs In addition to the above-listed examples of income hiding behaviors, domestic sex traffickers also attempt to buffer their criminal operation with widespread payoffs to individuals in critical 2 Big Pimpin Pappy finally takes a fall, Miami Herald, July 30,

58 positions. Bribery may be attempted towards hotel owners, landlords, car dealership employees, security guards, corrections officers in jails, and even law enforcement agents. A Lavish Lifestyle Built on the Misery of Women and Children Using the profits taken from the relentless commercial sex that women and girls are forced to provide, pimps spend this money to live a life in the lap of luxury. One central aim of pimping is to demonstrate prestige and success through material wealth. Pimps are known to purchase multiple houses, expensive cars, high-end clothing, and jewelry with the money they receive from the quotas they enforce. In addition to material wealth, pimps also often force the women and girls under their control to serve their daily needs and whims. As examples, a pimp may demand that others tie his shoelaces for him, buy and prepare food his food, feed him, groom him, and bathe him. In this sense, the pimp increases his power trip and his control over the women and girls in his stable by enforcing these trivial demands, humiliating those around him, and elevating himself to a king-like fantasy with sexual servants and obedient slaves. A Modern Slave Auction Block: The Buying and Selling of Women and Girls Among Pimps Just as human trafficking is often referred to as modern-day slavery, domestic sex trafficking is a form of human trafficking that directly engages in the sale and purchase of women and girls, similar to chattel slavery. A complex set of rules governs the transactions by which pimps can buy and sell the women and girls under their control. A particular victim may be sold to another pimp for disobedience, for misbehavior, for laziness, or for appearing disloyal by doing something as simple as making eye contact with another pimp. The pimps negotiate the prices of sale, which can span a wide spectrum of amounts. After the sale, the purchase price of each woman or girl can then be used as a means of debt that is held over the victim s head. The pimp may declare, I just paid $5,000 for you, and now you have to pay off that $5,000 dollars, plus interest. Branding and Tattoos Along similar lines to the notion of ownership and sale, pimps also may brand or tattoo their name or a certain mark on the women and girls under their control to demonstrate ownership. This process is again, eerily reminiscent of chattel slavery, and also evokes images of the branding of animals or cattle. The Track In most major cities, there is a known area where pimp-controlled prostitution occurs. This area is commonly referred to as the track or the stroll or the loop. It is important to understand that because it is a pimp-controlled area, pimps patrol the track to ensure that only the women and girls under their control are available for commercial sex. This patrol behavior ensures a monopoly on all money made. The competition of any women or girls without pimps represents a potential loss of the pimp s money. For this reason, it is a safe assumption that a pimp-controlled area or track does not 16

59 have a co-existence of women or girls operating without pimps. Therefore, because pimps engage in behavior that constitutes a severe form of trafficking in persons, the track is a likely place to identify victims of domestic sex trafficking. Beyond Street-Based Prostitution: Pimps and Other Commercial Sex Mediums In the years since the advent of the Internet, pimps have expanded their operations beyond strictly street-based prostitution. As a means of diversifying the various ways that they can make money, pimps also market the women and girls under their control in other commercial sex mediums. Other examples where pimps force women and girls to operate include: Escort agencies Pimps place advertisements for the women and girls in their stable on various Internet sites (such as Craigslist and Eros.com) so that the women can also operate as incall or outcall escorts and all the money over to the pimp. A number of Polaris past trafficking clients have had pimps place these Internet ads for them. While some of these ads may be for independently operating women who have no pimp, it is also safe to assume that a number of these ads are placed by pimps. Strip Clubs When a woman or girl is dancing or performing at a strip club and making money from tips, in some instances, she may have a pimp controlling her behind the scenes and be turning all money made over to him. In this way, pimps also arrange for the women and girls they control to work at strip clubs. Small bars and clubs In an alternative setting to street prostitution, a pimp may operate out of a small dive bar with a complicit owner where he can directly broker dates between customers and the women and girls he controls. Private Parties and Arrangements Pimps may directly broker commercial sex dates for the women and girls under their control by arranging times and locations for friends and private parties. These arrangements are essentially escort operations, but a subtle variation because they are directly brokered instead of advertised to the public. Pornography Past client examples reveal instances of pimps also arranging pornography shoots for the women and girls under their control as an additional source of profit. When minors are involved, the engages in the production of child pornography. Major Cases: Noteworthy Court Cases that Involve Domestic Sex Trafficking U.S. v. Try Footman, , U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit (2000): This decision upheld the conviction of a pimp for running a ring of prostitutes who were transported across state lines from Massachusetts to Delaware. U.S. v. Kendal Ray Williams, , U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (2002): Williams was convicted of four counts of persuading a person to travel in interstate commerce to engage in prostitution (Section 2422A), four counts of transporting a minor with the intent to engage them in prostitution (Section 2423A) and one count of interstate travel in aid of racketeering (Section 1952). In 1994, the Defendant convinced his 15-year-old girlfriend to prostitute herself in order to earn money for her family. After crossing into another state, he took the adolescent's money and belongings, beat her, raped her and threatened her with a gun before she escaped back to Montana. 17

60 U.S. v. Pipkins - On February 6, 2002, in Atlanta, Charles Pipkins and Andrew Moore are believed to be the first pimps of prostituted children found guilty under the RICO Act. Shortly after this landmark verdict, 12 other people already indicted under similar charges were found guilty and sentenced in Atlanta. Pipkins and Moore received sentences of between 30 and 40 years. U.S. v Curtis 2004 case. Carlos J. Curtis, 27, of Brooklyn, New York, was found guilty in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia of six charges, including Sex Trafficking of Children (the first such conviction obtained after trial under this new statute), Transportation of Minors for Prostitution, Transportation of a Person for Prostitution, and Possession of Child Pornography. According to the government's evidence, Curtis and an accomplice enticed a 12-year-old runaway child to engage in commercial sex by offering her food, clothing, and shelter. Curtis and his accomplices also transported the 12-year-old and a 26-year-old woman from Queens, New York, and a 17-year-old runaway child from Maryland to the District of Columbia so that the children and woman would engage in prostitution. U.S. v Gates & Heyward 2004 case. Gary Gates, also known as "Sweat," 42, was sentenced in United States District Court for the District of Columbia to 178 months of incarceration, five years of supervised release, and a $1,000 fine, for four counts of sex trafficking of children and one count of first degree child sexual abuse to which he pled guilty on June 23, On April 23, 2004, Gates and female accomplice, Tamisha Heyward, also known as Quilena Taylor, 27, were indicted for running an illegal sex trafficking operation which involved the prostitution of more than thirty women, including girls as young as 14 years old. Gates and Heyward, both formerly of 16th Street, N.E., Washington, D.C., were charged with conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of children and sex trafficking by force, transportation of minors for prostitution, and coercion and enticement of children to engage in prostitution, among other offenses. Common Criminal Defenses used by Pimps In response to criminal charges, pimps are known to offer a common set of criminal defenses to mask or justify their behavior. It is important for law enforcement officials, lawyers, and judges to recognize these common defenses and identify their weaknesses. Three common defenses used by pimps include: I wasn t a pimp I had a real job and legitimate source of income Traffickers who do not have a legitimate source of income are often required to produce documentation that they have a legitimate job for the purposes of real estate, large purchases, or even the court system. One of the most common ways that traffickers will get around this background check is by asking someone with access to a computer or Internet to produce fake paystubs. People are known to make fake paystubs for money and will also make arrangements to be used as references during job interviews. Scrutinizing the legitimacy of paystubs and references may help to expose a pimp s false criminal defense. I m not a pimp I m a hip hop artist or rapper In past cases, pimps have claimed to be a rapper as a criminal defense and justified their relationship with the women and girls under their control as dancers in their videos or for their band. Scrutinizing the legitimacy of these claims often reveals little to no songs produced, videos made, or live performances. It was the woman s choice to prostitute herself Because force, fraud, and coercion are the critical elements of a sex trafficking prosecution (U.S.C. 1591), the fundamental question in many trials becomes the willingness or voluntary choice of the victim to engage in commercial sex on her own free will. Effectively combating this criminal defense requires prosecutors to demonstrate 18