It is a hidden crime. Secrecy is one of its core characteristics. It is difficult to discover or investigate because the conspirators, of course, want to keep the scheme secret, and the victims are unable and frequently unwilling to speak out. The crime is human trafficking. It is an issue that has come to our national consciousness over the last decade, and law enforcement agencies in New Jersey, as elsewhere, are still struggling to combat it. Just this week, however, a human trafficking scheme was brought to justice, with a defendant pleading guilty to the most serious human trafficking charge β first-degree human trafficking.
Breion Turner, a year-old Trenton resident, admitted before a Mercer County Superior Court Criminal Judge to holding a year-old girl against her will, and forcing her to engage in prostitution for his benefit.
Over the four-days, the teenage victim was threatened and not allowed to leave. She finally left the house where she was being held, and was confronted by her mother.
The statutory language above appears to cover precisely what defendant Turner did in the case described above. The statute also provides that a conviction for first degree human trafficking particularly when a victim under the age of 18 is involved should result in at least 20 years in prison with no chance for parole.
It appears that the State agreed to recommend a prison sentence less than the statutory year minimum to induce Turner to plead guilty, rather than have to make the State try the case in court. There is little question that Turner, facing first degree human trafficking charges , needed an experienced criminal defense lawyer to help defend him against the charges.
