Backpage.com Pleads Guilty to Human Trafficking in Texas
“Taking down Backpage and obtaining a criminal conviction for the company and its CEO represents a significant victory in the fight against human trafficking in Texas and around the world,” Attorney General Paxton said. “I want to thank the Attorney General of California, the U.S. Department of Justice, federal law enforcement officials, Nueces County District Attorney Mark Gonzalez, and the prosecutors and law enforcement in my office for their outstanding collaborative work on this investigation and prosecution.”
Investigation by AG Paxton’s Office Helps Shut Down Backpage.com
“Backpage generated millions of dollars annually on the backs of innocent women and children who were forced or coerced into sex trafficking,” Attorney General Paxton said. “Taking down this despicable website will undoubtedly save lives and spare many others from the unspeakable horrors of sex trafficking.”
AG Paxton Unveils New Training Video to Mobilize Texans in the Fight Against Human Trafficking
“This remarkable training video represents my deep conviction to inform, educate and empower Texans to prevent, recognize and report human trafficking,” Attorney General Paxton said. “‘Be the One in the Fight Against Human Trafficking' was created to enlist citizens from every walk of life to help Texas in its nationwide leadership role to combat and ultimately eliminate this horrific and dehumanizing crime.”
AG Paxton Announces New Agency Human Trafficking Unit
“Criminals steal many things from their victims, such as money, belongings and their sense of safety and well-being; but human trafficking is, simply put, the theft of a person’s very soul,” said Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. “While trafficking is often associated with people from other countries, the victims of trafficking can and do come from anywhere, including right here in Texas. “Fortunately, through this new unit and through recent changes to the law, Texas is in a great position to make headway in the fight against trafficking, and we will take the fight to the doorstep of traffickers at every opportunity.”
Texas Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Unit Joins Austin Police in Undercover Operation During F1 Weekend
“These arrests reflect a coordinated state and local law enforcement effort to crack down on human trafficking during big scale events like F1,” said Attorney General Ken Paxton. “The Office of the Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Unit routinely participates in operations with other law enforcement agencies in an effort to identify possible victims of human trafficking, many times underage victims who fall pray of traffickers and are forced into prostitution.”
San Antonio Man Sentenced in Sex Trafficking of Minors Scheme
A federal judge sentenced 38-year-old Marcus Deshawn Wright to two life imprisonment terms for sex trafficking of minors plus 30 years in prison for production of child pornography announced Acting United States Attorney Richard L. Durbin, Jr., Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs of the FBI’s San Antonio Division and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.