More Than Massages: A Hidden Sex Industry In Hampton Roads

A woman cried in front of a Chesapeake judge this spring.

A Mandarin interpreter was whispering in her ear, translating as a prosecutor described her crime.
It happened at a massage parlor, in an ordinary strip mall, tucked between a hair salon and a mortgage broker.

Fuzhen Zhao, 53, showed an undercover officer to a room.

He undressed.

During the massage, she crossed a line, making it obvious something illegal was on the menu.

“Not today,” the officer said, shaking his head.

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Judge Story Calls Vatican Summit, Audience With Pope ‘Amazing’

U.S. District Judge Richard W. Story shared a harrowing story of sex trafficking in Georgia last month with an audience in Vatican City and one particularly notable guest: Pope Francis.

Story was one of more than 60 judges and prosecutors from around the globe invited to share insights with the pope June 3-4 at the Judges’ Summit on Human Trafficking and Organized Crime. The summit was hosted by the Pontifical Academy on Social Studies in Vatican City.

“This particular summit involved judges and prosecutors from 26 countries, and it focused on human sex trafficking, forced labor and organ trafficking, as well as organized crime,” Story said. “The United States was requested to participate, and I was asked by the ambassador at-large on human trafficking to be part of a team that went.”

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Sex Trafficking 'Staggering' In Illegal Latin American Gold Mines: Researchers

Wed Mar 30, 2016 12:49pm EDT

By Anastasia Moloney


BOGOTA (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - The scale of sex trafficking around illegal gold mines in parts of Latin America is "staggering," and thousands of people working there are prey to labor exploitation by organized crime groups, a think-tank said on Wednesday.

"When these mines are directly controlled by criminal groups, or in areas controlled by organized crime, there is an elevated risk of human trafficking," the report by the Geneva-based organization said.

"In Colombia and Peru particularly, and to a lesser extent in the other countries studied, our research uncovered numerous instances of labor trafficking and exploitation, sex trafficking and child labor."

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