Hello. When I was 15 I was a victim of human trafficking. My trafficker took me from NJ to NY to AZ. The ordeal lasted for about a year.
It’s a long story, but it took 17 years for me to tell the FBI, and now they are prosecuting. I gave them solid evidence (credit cards he opened in my name then linked himself as an authorized user, my learners permit from when I turned 16 (which has the address of the house in AZ that he moved me to), a photo of us naked in the shower, and a dated/time stamped letter and response where I tried to tell his wife and she told me to f%CK off).
When the agent first came to interview me his very first question was “why didn’t your mother file a police report?” And I told him I didn’t know.
I just recently found the letter, which detailed some things about my mother’s relationship to this situation. Today on the phone the FBI guy asked me to explain some things. I explained that my mother was on drugs and insane, and she didn’t care what happened to me, and she probably had no idea what was happening.
The FBI guy said they are trying to prosecute under the Mann Act. Today my friend (who is a criminal defense attorney) told me about the guy from Aerosmith and his 16 year old “girlfriend” who he adopted… and how somehow that was a defense to transporting a minor over state lines for “immoral purposes”.
I just would like to know more about that.
Is the Mann Act a legal loophole to statutorily rape minors (I know that there are legal loopholes for that purpose: 18 USC Section 2243(c)(2) for example)?
Is the fact that my mother did not file a police report a valid defense for what he did to me? I‘m not saying this is what happened to me, but if a parent gives a pedophile permission to rape their kid, is that a defense?
I wish that I elaborated more to him that my mother has (trauma inflicted) brain damage and was basically conned into this. I’m in law school now (1L), so I have a little bit of an understanding about culpable mental states and strict liability elements and statutes of limitations. My criminal defense attorney friend feels like they aren’t trying to build a case against my mother, but instead they are trying to figure out what his defense will try to say. I am anxious to take CrimPro next year. I wish I had more answers now.
Thank you for your time. I appreciate any insight you may have.