Recently, as part of a nation-wide human trafficking operation spearheaded by the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Operation Cross County IX arrested of 153 pimps and rescued 149 underage sex-trafficking victims, including 7 pimps and 20 victims in Denver. According to the FBI press release, “Of 135 cities participating in the operation, Denver ranks first for the number of juveniles recovered from trafficking . This is the second year in a row the local operation recovered more juveniles than any other city in the country.” Colorado has historically had high statistics when it comes to human trafficking and prostitution. Over the past few years, there have been numerous arrests throughout the state with regard to human sex trafficking, leading to the creation of Colorado Senate Bill 15-030.
The timing of this raid is particularly interesting considering Colorado Senate Bill 15-030, a law passed earlier this year with regard to criminal charges of prostitution. The bill states, “A person charged with Prostitution, as described in section 18-7-201 or any corresponding municipal code or ordinance, for an offense omitted on or after July 1, 2015, which offense was committed as a direct result of being a victim of human trafficking, may assert as an affirmative defense that he or she is a victim of human trafficking as defined in section 18-3-502(12).” In other words, if someone is the victim of human sex trafficking, and as a result they are forced into prostitution, they have an affirmative defense to that crime. The new law also allows for the expungement of records if someone was charged with Prostitution prior to July 1, 2015 if they were the victim of human sex trafficking.
Know your rights! If you or a loved one has been charged with prostitution as a result of human sex trafficking, contact our expert Criminal Law Group to assist you in your defense, at 1-(888) 458-0991.