FBI Pittsburgh Says Uptick In Human Trafficking Cases Is 'Happening Right Under Our Noses'
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – As children log on to the computer each morning for virtual learning, they're also entering a world filled with the preying eyes of perpetrators.
FBI special agents say as of November 2020, there were more than 1,800 pending human trafficking investigations nationwide, and that has increased significantly over the last few years. The FBI tells KDKA that would be due to an increase in crimes or an increase of awareness about the issue. About 90 percent of the FBI's trafficking cases involve sex trafficking and 10 percent involve labor trafficking.
In the fiscal year of 2020, the FBI initiated 664 human trafficking investigations nationwide, arresting 473 traffickers. The FBI tells KDKA it takes a victim-center approach to each case, in part because of the cooperation from the victim is vital to successful prosecutions.
24-year-old Karleigh Maide is what the FBI calls a "success story." She's an example of how a tough home life can easily melt into a scary situation.
"For me, it sometimes was better because I felt like I had a choice. I grew up with a lot of sexual abuse from when I was in diapers all the way up to 14 years old," said Karleigh.
So when her now-convicted trafficker offered her a place to stay and emotional security, the crime came camouflaged as a choice.
"In those situations, I didn't feel in control. I didn't have the choice to say 'yes, I want to involve myself in sexual interactions,' so I kind of took that choice over my own body."
Victim specialist Bridget Simunovic said it's that simple.
"They look for that vulnerability, they look for that isolation. I think that loneliness. We had somebody tell us one time that they walked down the mall and gave a victim a compliment, and if they turned around and say 'thanks,' that's something they look for," said Simunovic.
Simunovic tells KDKA she sees local kids getting coerced into a lifestyle of prostitution and sold to other people. She works with victims every day at the Pittsburgh FBI office.
"That's exactly what it is — it's kids in our own communities. It's happening right under our noses. It's not what people think in the movies," Simunovic said.
"With children in general, one of the big difficulties is getting them to realize that they have been trafficked," said Special Agent Leonard Piccini Jr.
The FBI wants parents and children to know it could start with a meal, then a fancy gift and soon develop into more.
"If somebody is offering you something, nothing is free. Nobody is going to pay for things for you without you doing something for them at some point," said Piccini Jr.
Karleigh escaped human trafficking after an FBI bust. She told KDKA she couldn't see the situation for what it truly was at the time, considering she developed an emotional connection with her trafficker.
"Had we not gotten arrested; I probably wouldn't have left the situation until something bad had happened to me. I didn't have the strength to leave," she said.
But she found her strength now, working with the Pittsburgh organization Gwen's Girls. She now works to educate young girls on what she wishes someone had told her.
"I didn't have any life goals at 15. I was just living day to day and seeing where I end up. Now I have a lot. I have a lot of motivation and life goals. Eventually, I want to move on and open up a safe haven for young ladies that are being victimized in human trafficking," she said.
"But Karleigh and children like Karleigh are the single most reason we get up every day, come to work and continue to do this work," Simunovic said.
The FBI said it doesn't necessarily think virtual learning during the pandemic is causing an increase in trafficking, but when a child is spending more time in a vulnerable space – like online – risk increases.