October 9, 2012
Five men tied to child sex-trafficking investigation in Portland, police say
By Maxine Bernstein, The Oregonian
Several Portland men accused of sexually abusing two teenaged girls, taking photos of them nude and compelling them to be prostitutes have pleaded not guilty to promoting prostitution and sex crime allegations.
A multi-agency law enforcement investigation led to the arrests of five men after one of the victims called her attorney last month, seeking help.
The two victims were 17 and 14 years old, according to court documents. The 14-year-old was described as a runaway from Riverside, Calif., according to police and prosecutors’ statements in court affidavits.
The girls were taken to Portland motels to commit sex acts for money, and forced to walk Portland’s 82nd Avenue looking for jobs. They were forced to return the money they obtained to their pimps, according to court records.
One of the teen victims estimated she made $500 a day for her pimp, averaging about 11 “dates” a day, according to a search warrant affidavit.
The men who forced the teens into prostitution threatened to harm their families if they objected or reported the activity.
