Schuette Statement on National Human Trafficking Awareness Day 

(Lansing, MI) – January 11, 2012 - Attorney General Bill Schuette today offered the following statement in support of January 11th being designated National Human Trafficking Awareness Day:

"Every day across America, and right here in Michigan, men, women and children are bound by the chains of modern day slavery," said Schuette.  "Our Constitution's 13th amendment bans slavery in all its forms, but human traffickers use force, fraud and coercion to hide their victims in the shadows.  Our own family members are forced into prostitution, domestic servitude and other forms of labor.  Even more alarming, approximately forty percent of human trafficking cases involve the sexual abuse of a child.

 "We must not turn a blind eye to the exploitation of fellow citizens in our own backyard. That's why I started the first Human Trafficking Unit in the Michigan Attorney General's office - to track down these criminals and bring them to justice.  In the past year, we have charged the very first cases to be prosecuted under Michigan's human trafficking law, and we expect to take on more, with the continued cooperation of the FBI, Michigan State Police, and local law enforcement agencies.  Together we can put a stop to human trafficking in Michigan."

In 2011, Schuette's Human Trafficking Unit charged the following cases:

      People v. Mitchell  - Schuette arrested Sedrick Leman-Isaac Mitchell, 32, of Detroit, also known as "Gruesome" and "Roc," for allegedly engaging in human trafficking and other crimes related to the enslavement of two young girls who were forced to engage in prostitution on the streets of Detroit.  The charges resulted from an investigation by Michigan State Police and the FBI through the Southeast Michigan Crimes Against Children Task Force.  Schuette alleges Mitchell held captive one 14-year-old girl and one 15-year-old girl in a house on Detroit's east side for approximately two months.  The victims were forced to engage in prostitution and faced both physical and sexual assaults.  Mitchell faces trial in March 2012.

      Detroit Pink Prostitution Ring - Schuette arrested five residents of Southeast Michigan for conducting a human trafficking operation through a prostitution ring, called "Detroit Pink".  Mustafaa Hassan Muhammad 31, of Detroit; Tara Muhammad 32, of Chesterfield Township; Brooklyn Marie Siebert, 29 of Warren; Rita Jean Jemison 25, of Detroit; and Jason Michael Sherrill, 31, of Detroit are each charged with multiple felonies including Human Trafficking, Pandering, Accepting the Earnings of a Prostitute and Racketeering. The charges result from an extensive investigation conducted by Michigan State Police and the FBI through the Southeast Michigan Crimes Against Children Task Force that revealed human trafficking involving at least one child, as well as forced drug running across the country.  All five defendants face preliminary exam in February 2012.

Schuette is one of ten attorneys general nationwide selected to lead the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) Presidential Initiative on Combating Human Trafficking, called Pillars of Hope.  Schuette is working closely with his colleagues to craft a national strategy to combat human trafficking, including efforts to prosecute offenders, assist victims, analyse the impact of this crime and raise public awareness.

Human trafficking is modern day slavery and it is the second-largest and fastest-growing criminal industry in the world, after drug trafficking.  Victims of human trafficking are in bondage through force, fraud or coercion, solely for the purpose of sex or labor exploitation.  Children are especially vulnerable.  According to the U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2,515 incidents of human trafficking were recorded nationwide between January 2008 and June 2010.  Of those incidents, 1,016 involved the sexual exploitation of a child, 1,218 involved the sexual exploitation of adults, and 350 involved labor trafficking. 

The Michigan law banning Human Trafficking (MCL 760.462a, et seq.) went into effect on August 24, 2006.  The law was strengthened in 2010, with those changes taking effect on April 1, 2011.  Updates to the law included: adding human trafficking to the list of predicate offenses that fall under the state racketeering law, authorizing additional court-ordered restitution for trafficking victims, and stronger penalties.        

A criminal charge is merely an accusation and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.