Human Trafficking Victim: "I Was Afraid Of My Own Dreams."
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MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) — It was sentencing day for a man accused of bringing young men to Miami for prostitution purposes.
A judge sentenced Andras Janos Vass, 25, to more than 11 years in prison with credit for time served already for his role in an alleged gay sex slave prostitution ring.
One of the victims spoke during his sentencing via an interpreter, saying "the events have changed my life. It's a real hardship to socialize and mingle with people. I'm walking in the street. I believe everybody knows the story that happened to me and I feel like they have reproachful glances at me. When we got out of the situation I started drinking heavily to try to forget the past. I was afraid I would dream about these people. I was afraid of my own dreams."
Vass, via an interpreter, also spoke in court. He said he read the Bible and asked for forgiveness from the victims and their families.
His defense attorney, Adam Goodman, was not very happy with the sentence.
"He got the bottom of the guidelines. We were hoping the judge would give him a lower sentence. He was the least culpable," he said.
Members from the LGBT community were also in the courtroom for support.
"Our community is very vulnerable to sex trafficking....justice was delivered in the way that it should be," said Francesco Duberli with Survivors Pathway.
A jury convicted Vass on human trafficking and racketeering charges back in April.
The Miami Herald reported that testimony showed Vass and others brought three victims to New York in 2012 and forced them to perform sex acts at all hours.
The victims and their families in Hungary were threatened and the victims' travel documents were confiscated.
The ring relocated to the Miami area later in 2012.
Two other Hungarians were arrested in connection to the alleged ring.
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