Escaping The Blade: KCRA 3 Investigates documentary details dire Sacramento sex trafficking

Escaping The Blade: KCRA 3 Investigates documentary details dire Sacramento sex trafficking problem

KCRA 3 Investigates spent a year talking to survivors, advocates, lawmakers and law enforcement about the problems they’re seeing on the streets and what they think needs to change.

OR TO GO DO WHAT YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO DO. CALIFORNIA IS A HOTBED FOR HUMAN TRAFFICKING. IT’S FRUSTRATING FOR ALL OF US IN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE CENTER, FOR ME, FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT. THAT WORKS VERY HARD ON THESE CASES. BUT IT’S MOST FRUSTRATING FOR THE VICTIMS RIGHT NOW. WHAT WE’RE DOING IS NOT WORKING, AND YOUNG GIRLS ARE BEING IMPACTED. OKAY. THANKS FOR EVERYBODY FOR COMING. UM, THIS WAS KIND OF A QUICK ONE THAT WE THREW TOGETHER. WE’RE GOING TO BE FOCUSING ON THE STOCKTON BOULEVARD CORRIDOR TODAY. OUR GOAL TODAY IS KIND OF MAX ENFORCE. IT’S A GROWING CRIME. IMAGINE A MCDONALD’S DRIVE THROUGH AND THAT’S WHAT THIS PARKING LOT WAS. IT WOULD BE BUMPER TO BUMPER TRAFFIC. AND IT’S HAPPENING RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOUR EYES. IT’S A DIFFERENT WORLD, ISN’T IT? YES, ABSOLUTELY. YET MOST PEOPLE DON’T EVEN NOTICE IT. I WASN’T FULLY AWARE OF WHAT WAS GOING ON RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY FACE. WOMEN AND GIRLS SOLD FOR SEX. DROPPED OFF BY A VEHICLE. SHE GOT OUT. SHE’S IN SEE THROUGH FISHNETS. 19. I WAS 13 WHEN I WAS 12. 18. YOU MIGHT THINK THAT THEY’RE WORKING ALONE, BUT THEY’RE ACTUALLY BEING WATCHED. I COULDN’T COME HOME UNLESS I HAD $1,000 THAT NIGHT. THEIR CAPTORS, THEY THINK THAT THE LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT IS A JOKE. THE LAWS DO NOT WORK. THE ONLY PERSON THE LAW BENEFITS IS THE TRAFFICKER. HEY, STAY IN YOUR CAR. STAY IN YOUR CAR. SIMPLY WALKING FREE. THE LAW HAS NO TEETH. SACRAMENTO IS A HUB FOR SEX TRAFFICKING. 47TH AND STOCKTON STOCKTON BOULEVARD, RIGHT HERE GOT DROPPED OFF AT THE BLADE. THE BLADE? A BLADE. YOU LITERALLY HAVE TO RUN. AND IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT, THEN WHO THE HELL IS GOING TO HELP YOU. OR THE OTHER PART DOING IT, DOING ONE OF THESE OPERATIONS? UNDERCOVER DETECTIVES HIT THE GROUND RUNNING. MY UNDERSTANDING IS WE’RE CHASING EVERYTHING THAT RUNS. WE’RE GOING AFTER EVERYTHING. SO BE AS AGGRESSIVE AS YOU AS YOU WANT AND YOU KNOW HOW. AND WE WILL SMASH INTO THE NOT SO UNDERGROUND WORLD OF COMMERCIAL SEX HAPPENING ALONG A FOUR MILE STRETCH THAT CUTS RIGHT THROUGH THE HEART OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY. SO A BLADE IS CONSIDERED LIKE A ROADWAY OR A PUBLIC ROADWAY, THE WAY AT LEAST WE PHRASE IT IS PUBLIC ROADWAY COMMONLY UTILIZED FOR COMMERCIAL SEX WORK. UH, STOCKTON BOULEVARD BEING ONE OF THEM. USUALLY WE SEE IT BETWEEN STOCKTON BOULEVARD. IT’S USUALLY ABOUT FRUIT RIDGE TO LC. SACRAMENTO IS A SEX TRAFFICKING HOTSPOT. THAT’S ME. DOCO. WE’RE PULLING UP RIGHT NOW. WHY ARE YOU OUT HERE DRESSED IN FISHNETS WITH YOURSELF COMPLETELY EXPOSED, WITH THREE CONDOMS? JUST WALKING. YOU’RE JUST WALKING LIKE THAT. OKAY, I’M TALKING ABOUT YOUR MIND FRAME AS TO WHY YOU WOULD BE OUT HERE. I’M NOT BEING. AM I GOING TO JAIL? I DON’T NEED TO. YEAH, OKAY. IT’S CLEAR SHE’S WORKING AT. AND SHE’S NOT WILLING TO COOPERATE WITH US. UH, SHE DOESN’T WANT ANY RESOURCES, AND SHE WANTS TO DENY ANY INVOLVEMENT WITH A POTENTIAL TRAFFICKER. IS THAT YOUR RIDE? THE GUYS THAT ARE CAUGHT OVER THERE. I DIDN’T COME HERE WITH ANYONE. OKAY, THAT’S FINE. THEN WE ARE GOING TO BE SEIZING YOUR PHONE. OKAY? I CAN’T GO THROUGH IT, THOUGH. I’M GOING TO WRITE A SEARCH WARRANT INTO IT, AND THEN I’LL GO THROUGH IT. IF YOU ARE BEING TRAFFICKED, WE WANT TO FIND OUT WHO IT IS SO WE CAN BASICALLY MAKE THEM SEEK JUSTICE. AND FOR THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE, EVEN AS THEIR ENFORCEMENT GROWS LIKE IT LITERALLY WILL GIVE IT ANOTHER 20 MINUTES, 30 MINUTES, AND WE’LL ALL BE OUT OF THE PARKING LOT AND THEY WILL ALL COME BACK. SO DOES THEIR FRUSTRATION. WE HAVE YOUNG GIRLS THAT ARE 12 AND 14 YEARS OLD. WHETHER IT’S WINTER OR SUMMER, THEY’RE WEARING A BRA AND PANTIES AND SOMETIMES JUST PANTIES OR NOTHING. WE’RE IN AMERICA. IS THAT ACCEPTABLE? WHY IS IT OKAY HERE IN CALIFORNIA? THIS GENTLEMAN RIGHT HERE JUST TRIED TO CONTACT THE SEX WORKER. SHE WALKED AWAY FROM THE CAR. ALL RIGHT, SO WE’RE GONNA DO A VEHICLE STOP ON THIS CAR. EVERYBODY WANTS THE TRAFFICKER THAT IS A GOLDEN GOOSE. YOU GET THEM. BUT THOSE ARRESTS ARE FEW AND FAR IN BETWEEN. AND THAT’S REALLY THE ISSUE WE WANT TO DEAL WITH. WE WANT TO HELP THE GIRLS. AND A LOT OF THE GIRLS ARE AFRAID TO GET OUT OF IT. IF THEY GET OUT OF IT, THEY GO RIGHT BACK INTO IT BECAUSE THESE TRAFFICKERS HAVE SO MUCH INFLUENCE OVER THE GIRLS, AND THEY’RE AFRAID. OCCUPIED. HEY, STAY IN YOUR CAR. STAY IN YOUR CAR. HANDS. THERE’S NOTHING THAT STANDS OUT ABOUT THIS UNASSUMING BUILDING IN SACRAMENTO’S OAK PARK. IF YOU WERE TO DRIVE BY, YOU’D HAVE NO IDEA THE IMPACT THAT WE’RE HAVING ON THE COMMUNITY AND HOW MANY LIVES ARE CHANGED IN THIS VERY BUILDING. BUT THIS IS SAWANTVADI SECOND HOME. YEAH. UNFORTUNATELY. AND IT’S HERE WHERE SHE AND HER STAFF ARE MAKING A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE. YEAH, THERE’S A LOT GOING ON. BADEN IS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY AGAINST SEXUAL HARM, BETTER KNOWN AS KASH, A NONPROFIT CREATED TO HELP VICTIMS OF SEX TRAFFICKING. ANY PERSON, WOMAN OR PERSON WHO IDENTIFIES AS A WOMAN THAT HAS EXPERIENCED IN EXPLOITATION AT ANY POINT IN THEIR LIVES, CAN RECEIVE SERVICES HERE. CASH OFFERS WARM CLOTHING, MEDICAL CHECKUPS AND CHILDCARE. ABOUT 20 PEOPLE HAVE ALREADY ACCESSED THE CLOTHES CLOSET FOR THE KIDS AND ON ANY GIVEN DAY, BADEN NEVER KNOWS WHO WILL WALK THROUGH THE DOOR. THIS FIRST ONE IS MY VERY FIRST MUG SHOT AT 18 YEARS OF AGE. I JUST PICKED OUT SOME THAT JUST SHOWED THE PROGRESSION OF DRUGS AND ALCOHOL. WOMEN ARRIVE USUALLY IN THE DARKEST OF PLACES. I JUST HAD A BABY AFTER, UM, HIGH SCHOOL, OFTEN TURNING TO PROSTITUTION AS A LAST RESORT, AND I WAS JUST IN THAT SPACE OF, LIKE, SURVIVAL DESPERATION FOR ME. AND MY SON. OTHERS PICKED UP RIGHT OFF THE STREET. I REMEMBER I USED TO WALK TO SCHOOL OFF ANTELOPE ROAD. I KNOW NOW WHAT THAT MEANS. THERE WAS ALWAYS CONDOMS OVER THAT — OVERPASS. I WENT TO MESA VERDE. I WENT TO GRAND OAKS ELEMENTARY, ALMOST EVERY DAY SOMEONE WOULD TRY TO PULL OVER AND ASK US IF WE WANTED A RIDE, AND THAT’S ON ANTELOPE ROAD. HOW BIG OF A PROBLEM IS IT IN THIS REGION? IN THIS AREA, I WENT ALL THESE PLACES AND NEVER REALLY NOTICED WHAT WAS GOING ON. AND I THINK THAT’S THE SCARY PART ABOUT IT IS BECAUSE IF YOU DON’T KNOW, YOU DON’T KNOW. UM, AND I KNOW IT’S ANY AGE, IT’S, IT’S SUPER PREVALENT IN SACRAMENTO, ESPECIALLY WHEN I SOLD SEX IN THE EARLY 2000 HERE ON BROADWAY. UM, IT WAS LIKE WE WOULD WHAT STICKS OUT IS LIKE THIS. THE SISTERHOOD, SO TO SPEAK. LIKE, UM, YOU KNOW, DON’T DATE THE GUY IN THE GREEN TRUCK BECAUSE THEY DID THIS TO ME OR THAT TO ME OR BEING ABLE TO SHARE THAT WITH THE NEXT WOMAN, AND THEN HER GOING IN THAT TRUCK AND THEN NOT COMING BACK. THAT’S WHAT STICKS OUT TO ME, IS THE FRIENDS THAT I’VE LOST A LOT OF THEM. YEAH, YEAH, A LOT OF THEM. ALL THESE YEARS LATER, LITTLE HAS CHANGED. CASH ESTIMATES BETWEEN 2015 AND 2020, THERE WERE 13,000 VICTIMS TRAFFICKED FOR SEX IN SACRAMENTO COUNTY ALONE. I HAD ATTEMPTED A FEW TIMES TO ESCAPE. THAT INCLUDES EMILIE SANDERS, WHO LIVED THROUGH A THREE YEAR NIGHTMARE. A MAN SHE LOVED FORCED HER TO SELL SEX WHEN HE ABANDONED ME OUT ON THE STREET WHEN I WAS EIGHT AND A HALF MONTHS PREGNANT, HE DROPPED ME OFF, IN FACT, WILL BE, I BELIEVE, PASSING BY THE CAR WASH IN WHICH HE DROPPED ME OFF AT AND I CALLED 911. IT WAS ONLY AFTER SANDERS SOUGHT SUPPORT. SHE TOO, LEARNED SHE WAS A TRAFFICKING VICTIM. WHAT PEOPLE THINK OF IS I’M IN CHAINS. YOU SEE THE PICTURES HELP ME. WOMAN CRYING IN A CORNER. SO I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT WAS DEFINED AS AND WHAT I COULD JUST DEFINE IS THAT I WAS IN THIS IN LOVE WITH SOMEBODY WHO SAID WE WERE GOING TO DO THIS TEMPORARILY, BUT NOW IT’S A MUST. THERE’S CERTAIN RULES AND THINGS ON THE STREET THAT PEOPLE DON’T REALIZE. GUYS, YOU’RE NOT ALLOWED TO LOOK AT OTHER PIMPS, YOU’RE NOT ALLOWED TO CONVERSATE WITH OTHER PIMPS, AND YOU BETTER BE DOING EXACTLY WHAT YOUR PIMP KNOWS YOU’RE DOING. IT’S IT’S A SCARY AND SAD GAME THAT’S BEING PLAYED OUT THERE ON THE STREETS RIGHT NOW. IT’S A PROBLEM EVERYONE WANTS TO FIX, BUT NOT EVERYONE AGREES ON HOW WE INTRODUCED SB 14 MADE IT A SERIOUS FELONY, SO IT WOULD BE A STRIKING OFFENSE FOR THOSE THAT SELL MINORS 0 TO 17 FOR SEX. A KEY COMMITTEE IN THE STATE ASSEMBLY IS FACING INTENSE SCRUTINY TONIGHT FOR BLOCKING A BILL THAT WOULD HAVE PREVENTED CHILD SEX TRAFFICKERS FROM BEING RELEASED FROM PRISON EARLY LAST YEAR. THAT BATTLE WAS ON FULL DISPLAY. THERE WAS PUBLIC OUTRAGE, THERE WAS SERIOUS POLITICAL BLOWBACK, STATE SENATOR SHANNON GROVE PROPOSED SELLING A CHILD FOR SEX, BECOME A SERIOUS FELONY AND A LIKABLE OFFENSE SEEMED LIKE A SURE THING. IF YOU WERE TO ASK CALIFORNIANS, DEMOCRAT, REPUBLICAN OR INDEPENDENT, IF SEX TRAFFICKING A MINOR SHOULD BE A SERIOUS FELONY IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, I CAN PRETTY MUCH GUARANTEE THAT ALMOST EVERYONE WOULD SAY YES. IT TURNED OUT THE BILL WAS ANYTHING BUT. SURE, JOHN SAWYER NOT VOTING ALANIS BONTA, BRIAN BRIAN NOT VOTING LACKEY PROUDLY. I LACKEY I ORTEGA ORTEGA NOT VOTING SANTIAGO SABER NOT VOTING. HOW HOW CAN IT BE CONTROVERSIAL ALL THAT WE WANT TO HOLD SEX TRAFFICKERS ACCOUNTABLE FOR TRAFFICKING ING OUR CHILDREN. I DON’T THINK YOU REALIZE YOU MAY HAVE ALSO OPENED UP A CAN OF WORMS WHEN IT COMES TO PEOPLE GETTING OUT SOONER THAN THEY SHOULD. THE SEX TRAFFICKING AND KIDNAPING AND RAPE. HOW LONG WAS HE IN PRISON? TWO YEARS. HE GOT RIGHT BACK OUT. CONTINUE CALLING ME. HE LITERALLY CALLED MY MESSENGER FOR 50 TIMES STRAIGHT WITHOUT GIVING IT A BREAK. LIKE. IT’S BEEN THREE YEARS SINCE ALEXIS KING WAS FORCED TO SELL HER BODY FOR SEX, THOUGH IT STILL FOLLOWS HER AROUND TODAY. I TAKE THE BUS HERE AND AT THE BUS STOP. I HAD THREE GUYS PULL OVER EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM WANTED A DATE. IT’S SO EASY FOR IT TO NEVER LEAVE YOU BECAUSE IT’S ALWAYS LIKE GOING TO BE THERE. KING FOUND SALVATION AT CITY OF REFUGE IN OAK PARK. SHE NOW WORKS THERE HELPING OTHERS WHO AREN’T SO FORTUNATE. IT’S SO OFTEN IT’S MORE SO. ALL OF THE PEOPLE LOOKING TO PAY FOR THE GIRLS THAN IT IS ANYTHING AT THIS POINT. KING WAS ONLY 15 WHEN SHE WAS FIRST PICKED UP ON DEL PASO BOULEVARD. A GUY IN A DOCTOR SUIT. HE HAD PULLED UP. I WAS PASSING A LIQUOR STORE. HE HAD PULLED UP AND HE WAS JUST LIKE, DO YOU WANT TO MAKE SOME MONEY? EVENTUALLY, SHE STARTED HANDING HER MONEY OVER TO A PIMP. YOU’RE TRYING TO MEET YOUR QUOTA BY THE END OF THE NIGHT, SO YOU START TAKING ANYTHING. SO THEN THAT’S WHEN IT TURNS. REALLY INTO A LOT OF OF OF GUYS AND STUFF LIKE THAT. BECAUSE IT’S LIKE, OKAY, YOU GOT 20. LIKE, I’M GOING TO TAKE IT ALL BECAUSE I NEED TO GO HOME TONIGHT. I NEED TO HURRY UP AND AND GET HIM HIS MONEY. EVEN AFTER HER TRAFFICKER WAS CONVICTED, SHE FOUND SHE WAS NEVER REALLY FREE. HE WAS IN PRISON FOR TWO YEARS. AS SOON AS HE GOT OUT OF PRISON THIS YEAR, APRIL. THE FIRST MESSAGE I GET IS FROM HIM. AND I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO DO. HE’S GOING TO FIND ME. IT’S ALWAYS THAT THEY THE FEAR OF BEING FOUND OR HAVING TO GO BACK BECAUSE ONCE THEY FIND YOU, YOU’RE LIKE, I’M DONE RUNNING. MOST TRAFFICKERS IN CALIFORNIA ARE LET OUT OF PRISON EARLY. IT’S PART OF THE REASON SHANNON GROVE WROTE SB 14. BUT DURING THOSE HEARINGS, IT BECAME APPARENT NOT EVERYONE WAS AWARE. WITH THE GOOD TIME CREDITS AND ALL THE THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM, THEY HAVE A DISCOUNTED TIME IN PRISON. WE’RE TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE GETTING OUT THAT SHOULD NEVER GET OUT EARLY BECAUSE OF WHAT THEY DID. YOU’VE ALERTED ME TO SOMETHING THAT I DIDN’T THAT WE REALLY NEED TO LOOK AT. GOOD MORNING. UM, LET ME ASK YOU FIRST. WHERE ARE YOU CURRENTLY EMPLOYED? COURTNEY MARTIN IS ONE OF TWO SACRAMENTO COUNTY DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEYS ASSIGNED TO PROSECUTE SEX TRAFFICKERS. SHE SAYS IN THE PAST FIVE YEARS, HER CASELOAD HAS TRIPLED. WE’VE ALSO INTERVIEWED SUSPECTED OR CONFIRMED TRAFFICKERS. MARTIN AND HER TEAM ARE GETTING MORE CONVICTIONS. BUT SHE SAYS OFTEN THOSE SENTENCES HANDED DOWN JUST DON’T STICK. THERE IS THIS EARLY RELEASE THAT’S HAPPENING FROM PRISON, BASED ON THE FACT THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS HAS SIGNIFICANT, UH, POWER TO DECIDE HOW LONG A PERSON SERVES OF THEIR SENTENCE. AND BECAUSE OF COVID AND SOME OTHER POLICY CHANGES, UM, DEFENDANTS ARE SERVING A VERY SMALL AMOUNT OF THE SENTENCE TIME THAT THEY ARE GIVEN BY A JUDGE. KCRA INVESTIGATES, PUT IN A RECORDS REQUEST WITH THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS. IN 2022, 246 INMATES WHO WERE IN PRISON FOR HUMAN TRAFFICKING, PIMPING OR PANDERING WERE RELEASED. OF ALL THOSE INMATES, THE NUMBER THAT SERVED A FULL SENTENCE ONLY TWO OF THOSE CHARGED WITH HUMAN TRAFFICKING OF A MINOR, WHICH CARRIES A SENTENCE UP TO 12 YEARS. THE AVERAGE TIME SERVED FOUR YEARS AND FIVE MONTHS. YOU KNOW, WHEN WE DO HAVE A VICTIM WHO’S COOPERATIVE, WHO WANTS TO SEE THE PERSON WHO VICTIMIZE THEM HELD ACCOUNTABLE, WE HAVE TO TELL THEM, YOU KNOW, THEY’RE GOING TO GO TO PRISON. YOU JUST HEARD THE JUDGE ANNOUNCE THIS SENTENCE, BUT YOU HAVE TO KNOW THAT’S NOT HOW LONG THEY’RE GOING TO GO TO PRISON. IN FACT, BECAUSE OF THE WAY THE POLICY HAS CHANGED, WE OFTEN DON’T KNOW HOW LONG THE DEFENDANT IS ACTUALLY GOING TO SERVE. IT’S TOUGH. YOU KNOW, I GUESS 25 YEARS AS A COP, I GET GOOD AT IT. COMPARTMENTALIZING IT. SACRAMENTO POLICE DETECTIVE JASON COLLINS DOESN’T HAVE TIME TO THINK ABOUT HOW LONG SUSPECTS ARE STAYING IN PRISON. HE SIMPLY FOCUSED ON SENDING THEM THERE. THE GUY ASKS IF I’M AVAILABLE. I’M THE OUTGOING MESSAGE. SURE. MOST OF HIS TIME SPENT SIFTING THROUGH MESSAGES. WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? HE SAYS, FS, WHICH IS AN ACRONYM FOR FULL SERVICE, WHICH MEANS LIKE BASICALLY FULL SEXUAL RELATIONS. ASK FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT. AND THEN, YOU KNOW, ASK FOR SEND A PICTURE. AND THEN EVENTUALLY THAT’S WHERE, UM, WE EVENTUALLY THIS PERSON SHOWED UP. OTHER TIMES WE GO, GO OUT AND DO OPERATIONS UNDERCOVER, UM, DEALS WHERE WE’RE CHATTING, WHERE WE’RE TRYING TO RECOVER JUVENILES. WHEN THE VICTIM SHOWS UP AT THE DOOR, WE’LL HAVE AN UNDERCOVER OFFICER ANSWER THE DOOR. AND THEN WHEN SHE COMES IN, THE OFFICER WILL COME AROUND AND AND DETAIN HER. AND THEN, UH, WHILE THAT’S GOING ON, UM, IF SHE WAS BOUGHT BY A TRAFFICKER, THEN WE’D BE DEALING WITH THAT ON THE OUTSIDE. COLLINS, ALONG WITH FELLOW DETECTIVES, POSES AS MALE SEX BUYERS LOOKING TO LURE IN TEENAGE GIRLS PRETTY AS SIMPLE AS IT GETS. HI. ARE YOU AVAILABLE? YES. UH. ARE YOU HALF HOUR ALCOHOL? OKAY. DO YOU HAVE 200? YES. OKAY. GREAT. ARE YOU LAW ENFORCEMENT? NO. ARE YOU. NO. AND THEY’RE HOPING THE GIRLS DON’T ARRIVE ALONE. TYPICALLY, IF A GIRL SHOWS UP, THEY’RE BROUGHT THERE BY THEIR TRAFFICKER. I HAVE 148 TO THE SURVEILLANCE UNITS. UH, WE JUST HAD ONE TEXT THAT SHE’S CLOSE, SO IF YOU’RE OUT AND ABOUT, GET SET UP. KIND OF SLOW ROLLED BY THE HOUSE AND IT’S PARKING AROUND THE CORNER, IT LOOKS LIKE. STEP OUT. YEAH. HI, YOUNG LADY. MY NAME IS JASON. I’M A DETECTIVE WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT INSIDE THE VICTIMS ARE OFFERED HELP. YOU’RE NOT UNDER ARREST. OKAY? I’M NOT HERE TO MAKE A CASE AGAINST YOU, OKAY? WE’RE DOING A HUMAN TRAFFICKING STING, AND OUTSIDE OFFICERS GET WHAT THEY’RE LOOKING FOR HERE. THIS GUY HAS A HISTORY OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING, AND SO. RIGHT NOW, WE’RE JUST TRYING TO CONNECT THE DOTS TO, YOU KNOW, SEE IF WE CAN, YOU KNOW, MAKE THE ARREST ANOTHER SUSPECT WITH A HISTORY OF TRAFFICKING BACK IN THE GAME. COME ON, MAN, IT’S A STING OPERATION. SHE’S BEEN TALKING TO AN UNDERCOVER OFFICER. YOU GUYS ROLLED UP. YOU GOT CAUGHT UP IN THE STING. AT THIS POINT, I’M PRETTY CONFIDENT WE’RE GOING TO DOWNLOAD YOUR PHONE. I’M GOING TO FIND THINGS IN HERE THAT YOU ARE STILL PIMPING THEM OUT. JODY. NATIONAL IS NO STRANGER TO PIMPING. TWICE SENTENCED FOR THE CRIME FOR A TOTAL OF 11 YEARS. HOWEVER, HE SERVED ONLY A FRACTION OF BOTH PRISON TERMS. YOU’RE REFUSING TO OWN UP TO YOUR MISTAKES AS A 30 YEAR OLD MAN. YOU’RE NOT A KID ANYMORE, DUDE. AFTER THIS ARREST, HE PLEADED GUILTY AND WAS SENTENCED TO NEARLY NINE YEARS. BUT ONCE AGAIN, HE COULD EARN HIS WAY OUT TO AN EARLY RELEASE. I KNOW THE ARGUMENT AGAINST IS THAT YOU NO LONGER. PENALTIES DON’T DETER CRIMES, BUT MY ARGUMENT WOULD BE, WELL, YOU NO LONGER SENTENCING KEEPS THAT PARTICULAR PERSON FROM VICTIMIZING MORE PEOPLE DOWN THE ROAD BECAUSE OUR TRAFFICKERS NEVER REALLY HAVE DONE IT JUST ONCE. THEY’VE MOST OF THE TIME IN THE CASES THAT I’VE SEEN OVER TIME, THE TRAFFICKER HAS HAD MULTIPLE VICTIMS WORKING FOR THEM AT ONE POINT OR ANOTHER. YEAH, CAN DO IT AS CULVERT ESCALON. I TOLD HIM, YOU KNOW WHO MY MOM WAS AND I OVERHEARD, YOU KNOW, THE OFFICER SAY, THIS IS A SEX TRAFFICKING CASE. AND WHY WOULD YOU SELL YOUR DAUGHTER TO A POLICE OFFICER? DID YOU GUYS THINK ABOUT WHY A 12 YEAR OLD CHILD WOULD BE STRUNG OUT ON DRUGS AND PROSTITUTING. HOLD ON. I SEE AN ORANGE ROSE. JEANETTE DIAZ IS REDISCOVERING THE BEAUTY IN LIFE. ROSES SYMBOLIZE NEW BEGINNINGS TO ME. I ACTUALLY HAVE IT TATTOOED RIGHT HERE. AND TO ME, I WAS ONE OF THESE LITTLE THINGS. WELL, SMALLER THAN THIS. I WAS ONE OF THESE THINGS RIGHT HERE. AND I BLOOMED INTO A VERY BEAUTIFUL AND AMAZING PERSON. DIAZ FOUND OUT IN AN EARLY AGE THAT LIFE IS TOUGH. HER MOTHER WAS A DRUG ADDICT AND PROSTITUTE, UNABLE TO CARE FOR HER. I GOT TAKEN AWAY AT FIVE AND I WAS BOUNCED AROUND TO A LOT OF DIFFERENT FOSTER HOMES. SHE EVENTUALLY SET OUT TO FIND SOMEONE SHE THOUGHT SHE COULD TRUST. I WENT TO GO FIND MY MOM WHEN I WAS 12 ON STOCKTON AND FRUITRIDGE ROAD, AND I DID FIND HER. SHE SAYS. HER OWN MOTHER SOLD HER FOR SEX. MY MOM PUT A BLINDFOLD ON ME AND SHE SAID JUST TO LAY THERE. AND ALL I REMEMBER IS TAKING IT OFF AND STARING AT MY MOM. WATCH ME GET RAPED AND NOT PROTECTING ME. I DIDN’T KNOW THAT ALL THAT WAS BAD AT FIRST. SHE WAS GROOMING ME AND JUST TELLING ME LIKE, YOU KNOW, THIS WILL HELP MOM BE ABLE TO GET BETTER AND GET YOU GUYS BACK. SO IN A WAY, LIKE I WAS BEING TOLD, I’M HELPING YOU TO GET YOUR KIDS BACK BECAUSE I WANT TO BE BACK WITH YOU. I DIDN’T REALLY REALIZE IT UNTIL SHE WAS SELLING ME TO AN UNDERCOVER POLICE OFFICER ON STOCKTON BOULEVARD. WHEN THEY ASKED ME WHO MY MOM WAS AND ME. I’M A 12 YEAR OLD. I’VE NEVER BEEN IN TROUBLE BY THE POLICE OR ANYTHING. I TOLD HIM, YOU KNOW WHO MY MOM WAS, AND I OVERHEARD, YOU KNOW, THE OFFICER SAY, THIS IS A SEX TRAFFICKING CASE, AND WHY WOULD YOU SELL YOUR DAUGHTER TO A POLICE OFFICER FOR IT REALLY HAS BEEN. AND LIKE, I’M CRYING, BUT I’M HEALED. YOU KNOW, LIKE, I GET HEALING THROUGH DOING THINGS LIKE THIS BECAUSE. BECAUSE PEOPLE DON’T SPEAK ABOUT IT. YOU KNOW, VERY OFTEN THE HEALING ONLY BEGAN AFTER JEANETTE FOUND SOMEONE SHE COULD TRULY COUNT ON A LOT OF US, AS CHILDREN JUST WANTED SOMEBODY. LIKE, IF MAGGIE WAS IN MY LIFE WHEN I WAS A KID, I PROBABLY WOULD HAVE BEEN SAVED A LONG TIME AGO. I FIRST MET JEANETTE. I WANT TO SAY 11 YEARS AGO, 11 OR 12 YEARS AGO. MAGGIE CARROLL IS A STATE PROSECUTOR WHO IS CREDITED WITH TAKING DOWN BACKPAGE, A COMMON SEX TRAFFICKING WEBSITE. SHE’S ALSO THE ONE HELPING TO REBUILD DIAZ’S LIFE. I THINK SHE WAS FACING A LOT OF THE TRAUMA THAT I’VE SEEN IN OTHER SURVIVORS. MANY OF THE VICTIMS, EITHER THEY WERE SEXUALLY ABUSED OR SEXUALLY ASSAULTED AS A CHILD AND OR THEY WERE, YOU KNOW, SOLD AS SEX TRAFFICKING VICTIMS. YOU KNOW, AS A YOUNG TEENAGER, GIRLS NOW FOCUSED ON PROTECTING OTHER TEENS. WE SEE A LOT OF CHILDREN, UNFORTUNATELY, OUT OF THE FOSTER CARE SYSTEM. IT’S A MAJOR PROBLEM IN SACRAMENTO. IT’S A MAJOR PROBLEM. I MEAN, WE HAVE FAR TOO MANY MINORS WHO ARE OUT THERE AND TOO MANY YOUNG WOMEN WHO DON’T HAVE OTHER…