(radio beeps) >> Most people do not understand
the volume of trafficking that's going on in America,
in our own backyard. >> People want to think that
human trafficking only exists in foreign countries. >> Grab her, grab her, grab her!
Hey! >> She's running! >> The recruitment is happening
online, and on apps, and on social media where all
the kids are. >> You are a product,
and you have no other value. >> NARRATOR: a special "Frontline" report on
a police unit in Phoenix... >> We just learned that our
arrest team is in position... >> NARRATOR: That tries to
recover women and girls. >> I was out there for almost
four years. I hated every second of it,
I hated every call. >> Somebody sees me like
arrested like this like the girls or the pimp or
something then... >> We're not out here just to
give you guys a hard time. We do really want to help
get you out, okay? >> NARRATOR: Going undercover... >> Once they friend me on
Facebook, then I just go into their friend
list and I just hit 'em all up with friend requests. >> NARRATOR: And online. >> Some of them, they put 24
and they're actually 15. (police radio) >> I have never, ever met
a trafficker that I felt sorry for. I mean they are literally
selling humans day in and day out, out and
making money off of them. >> NARRATORS: Stopping the
traffickers and the buyers. >> Things cost different prices. >> Fetishes though are extra. >> Without customers there's no
girls out there, without customers
there's no pimps. >> NARRATOR: The inside story
of a brutal crime... >> Police, hands behind your
back. >> A drug is a usable quantity that can be used up one time. A person can be trafficked over
and over and over again, and that's why it's such
a problem. >> NARRATORS: And the
consequences. >> For a lot of these victims, they spend years trying
to rebuild their lives, and to have to rehash
it all in trial, it's got to be really,
really difficult. >> NARRATOR: With extraordinary
access on the streets... >> Hands up. >> NARRATOR: ...and through
the struggles for justice. >> The State of Arizona... >> It's painstakingly long,
the time between the arrest and the time that we see
a suspect in trial. >> ...on behalf of the state... >> NARRATOR: A story of
courage... (crying) >> NARRATOR: ...in the face
of the unthinkable. >> I want to have a future
for myself, and, like, show the people who
hurt me like, you know, you hurting me
just made me stronger. >> NARRATOR: "Sex Trafficking in America." >> Thousands of people are
pouring into the Phoenix area today... >> Super Bowl XLIX,
now just a day away... >> ...kicks off tomorrow in
Glendale, Arizona... >> Fans of the Seahawks
and Patriots flying in say they're loving
the location... >> It's not just another night
on the town. Tonight, Phoenix is the town... >> Local businesses getting all
prepped and ready. >> NARRATOR: Before the Super
Bowl came to Phoenix in 2015, the city began preparing
for the arrival of tens of thousands of people. >> So many people here... >> NARRATOR: And they worried that not all of them would be
coming for the game. >> ...surprised to find out
where sex trafficking's at the Super Bowl. >> There's always a lot of talk around any kind of a large
sporting event about traffickers bringing
their victims. >> Sex trafficking is a huge
problem around the world... >> Because they expect there
to be a big client base. (radio beeps) >> All right, we're in the area. We're just south of you guys. >> NARRATOR: Like other cities
around the country, Phoenix was looking
for a new way to deal with a persistent problem-- the sexual exploitation
of women and girls. >> Crazy how many girls are out
here right now. >> NARRATOR: One of the first
things they did was change the way they look
at the problem. >> Just north of here. >> NARRATOR:
They started seeing it as a form of human trafficking. >> A pimp and a trafficker are
the same thing. We just used to call them pimps
all the time. >> Grab her, grab her, grab her!
Hey! >> She's running. >> The very core of what
trafficking is is influencing, inducing, encouraging someone
into a life of prostitution. >> NARRATOR: For two-and-a-half
years, "Frontline" followed a special
police unit in Phoenix devoted to fighting sex
trafficking. >> ...no defense that you didn't
know how old she was. >> If you're exploiting
someone else, and you're using their body and
using them to make money,
you're a trafficker. ♪ ♪ (radio beeps) >> (on radio): Hey, Christi,
if you could just come down, the one that... >> NARRATOR: When we arrived in
Phoenix in the fall of 2016, the police had just begun
a new approach meant to treat the women and
girls as victims, not criminals. (people talking on radio) >> Before it was just,
arrest, book, arrest, book, arrest, book. (people talking on radio) It was more about addressing
the community's complaints about seeing people out on the
street. 27? Okay. They tell us to F off,
and we book 'em, and we go about our business. Where you from originally?
>> California. >> California, what part? How long have you been out here? We started talking
to some girls, and once we realized
why they were out there, we realized we were approaching
it wrong. Unfortunately, we keep coming
across girls that are either
really, really young; older and thought they wanted
to do it and changed their mind, but don't know how to get out
anymore. We started trying to figure out, how can we help get them off
the street, and, and go after the pimp,
instead of the girls? We really do want to help get
you out, okay? >> If somebody sees me, like,
arrested like this, like, the girls or the pimp or
something, then... >> You kind of don't have
a choice right now to talk to us, right? I know it seems like
a big to-do here, but we have to kind of make
it that way, we know that,
for you guys, okay? >> It's very difficult to put
a number on how many victims
are out there. >> She's going to talk with you. >> There's no stereotypical
human trafficking victim. They span all ethnicities, all socioeconomic backgrounds, and all ages. Girl, you're so young. That makes me sad. Are you out here with anybody?
>> No. >> Are you working for a pimp? >> We don't really call them
prostitutes anymore, you know, we call them victims,
and then we call them survivors. And we try to empower them
a little bit as they move through
that culture. >> NARRATOR: The detectives were
also changing the way they looked at the men
selling women, treating them as the perpetrators of human
trafficking. >> Each state is different, and
the federal law is different, but overall, if you're using
someone else for your personal
financial gain, that is the true sense
of being a trafficker. It doesn't have to be across
state lines, though most always it is. ♪ ♪ >> NARRATOR: When we started
filming with the unit, much of the sex trafficking
business had moved online, to websites like Backpage, a virtual marketplace
for buyers and sellers of sex. >> We usually look for girls on
Backpage because that's where
it's the most prominent. That's where we know most
of the customers are going to look for girls, that's where we know most of
the girls are being advertised. >> These are the ads that Heidi
pulled yesterday. >> Okay.
>> We chose this one because her name happens
to be Jazzy, and because of our case
yesterday. >> Oh, mm-hmm. >> We looked for juveniles
specifically on Backpage. >> A lot of these girls,
it's been my experience, they're not going to put 18, 19,
they're going to put 21 to 24, because they don't want us to
think that they're underage. >> Okay.
>> Everything on this could be 100% false. >> But if it looks like they're
young, they're speaking young, there's young indicators,
plus there's someone else taking their photo, that it
wasn't just a selfie, that it was someone else...
>> ...to post that. >> When I first came,
there's girls working out on the streets, and then it
was on Craigslist. Craigslist shut
that section down. Which then made Backpage
popular. And now, even in, more recently,
in the last few years, they're recruiting on apps. >> Let's be a little vulnerable
here. "I don't want to get myself..." >> NARRATOR: Because traffickers
hide behind the anonymity of the internet, the detectives
have been going undercover to try to lure them
into the open. >> With undercover Facebook
accounts, I'll typically... I'll friend somebody
who I know is out there, who we've, maybe we had
previously IDed as a, as a pimp or as a working
girl. And then once they friend me
on Facebook, then I just go into
their friend list, and I just hit them all up
with friend requests. Because they're not going to
take the time, they just figure, "Oh, (bleep), she's a really
pretty girl, and look what her, look what her profile pic is." And they all network together. >> NARRATOR: They hire models who let them post their pictures
online. >> Samantha, what was her name
on there? Um, Ashley Diamond. We will have multiple different
profiles across multiple different types
of social media. This persona, I pretend to be
very into fashion, so I will share fashion stuff. And I'll post these funny little
things. And so I kind of mix it up to
make it look real. I have about five different
pages. This is the one I've been using
the most lately, so... It is a lot of work,
and I do it when I can. The good thing is Facebook
is something I can get on from my phone. When we're doing surveillance,
I can sit there. We work late at night,
I can post something. So I'm...
that's the other thing, it's important to post things
on the weekend or late at night, or... If I only post things, like,
Monday through Friday, 8:00 to 5:00, then I start
to look like a cop, so... (computer chimes) >> Here, he responded. It looks like he's desperate
for a girl. He's hurting for money
right now. (exhaling): After a year of
being my friend, all of a sudden, he just sends a
random Facebook message, then... I'm going to jump all over it
and see what he has to say. "I'm not asking..." >> He probably sent that same
message... >> To every single girl,
oh, yeah. >> It's like a fishing
expedition for them. We can develop charges on them just based on this conversation
and arrest them. >> Yeah, if I can get him to
meet all the criteria for it, then that's a fantastic
pandering charge, whether he's in California
or Arizona or not. He knows I'm going to work
as a prostitute for him. He's going to take
all of my money. I let him know I'm nervous
about that. And he's just very, very
nonchalant, like, "It's normal to be nervous
about making such a change." >> Sex trafficking
is a new problem. I mean, it's,
it's the oldest problem, but it's a new problem
that we're looking at in a different way. >> NARRATOR: Dominique
Roe-Sepowitz helped launch the anti-trafficking effort
before the 2015 Super Bowl. She's one of the few experts studying the scope
of the problem. >> Reliable statistics on sex
trafficking are very complicated to find. It is a hidden crime. The trafficker tells the victim
that they're going to get in trouble if they disclose it. So oftentimes, our, the victims
that we work with don't tell us quickly or upfront that this is something
that's happening. The sex buyers are, are
purposely hiding their behavior, so they don't get caught. It's illegal to buy sex. So the whole thing is sort
of behind a screen. >> ...now, so they're out of the
game... >> NARRATOR: It was hard for the
police to tell if there was an actual spike
in sex trafficking around the Super Bowl. But the event changed the way
they have approached the issue ever since. >> The Super Bowl was kind of
the catalyst that brought all the parties to the table. It brought law enforcement in
the same room with the service providers, individuals that were out there
in the community doing training; the, you know, legislatures, and the,
or the governor and mayor. That's what was the catalyst for bringing the task forces
together. >> I'll be right back. I'm going to just grab
my notepad, okay? >> NARRATOR:
The anti-trafficking effort has been particularly focused
on minors. In 2016, the unit picked up this
teenager, named Kat. She'd been abducted and
trafficked by men she met online. >> I actually got a call at 3:45
in the morning. She's a 16-year-old who ran away
from the city of Maricopa... And ended up here in Phoenix. >> He told me 15 minutes,
15 to 20 minutes was $100. 30 minutes was $120 to $150. And a hour was $200,
but it depended. And, like, that was
all he told me, but I'm guessing that it
went up more and more if they wanted more time. >> And who's the... >> We're seeing more
and more girls, they're just typical teenagers
going through the woes of being a teenager,
and become a victim because they're vulnerable, because the traffickers
have access to them through their phones
and through the internet. >> NARRATOR: When we met Kat
a few months after she'd been found
by the police, she was back home
with her parents. >> I have to talk to them about
making a schedule for the week. >> How are you doing in school? >> Good, I just did
a pre-test... My name is Kat,
and I'm 16 years old. >> And you just work 12:00
to 3:00 p .m.? >> I have three siblings,
actually, two brothers and one sister. I love giraffes.
(laughs) Um... I don't really know
what else to say. So this right here, um,
this is Pedro. It's like something
you sleep on, it's almost like a,
like a pillow. I... Me, me and my parents had
been arguing a lot about just things that had been
going on throughout, like, my life, and things that
were going on in their life, and it seemed like they were
blaming me for everything, and I just, like, I couldn't
take it anymore. I have Facebook,
I had Instagram, I had all these things,
Snapchat, everything like that. I, I, my friend told me about
this app, it was called MeetMe. It was like a, like, you meet
people, and you talk to them, you know, it didn't really seem
like it was that harmful. >> This is their chatting
history. There's Kat, and there's Rafael. >> NARRATOR:
Through the MeetMe app, Kat began chatting with a man
named Rafael Quiroz. They exchanged messages for
almost a month. >> She talked to him about the
struggles that she was having at home with, with her family,
and fights that she was having, and he was just playing on
her vulnerabilities. >> NARRATOR: Rafael introduced
Kat to a friend of his named Jesse Cisneros. >> So Jesse started
corresponding with her on, on Snapchat, and Jesse was
the one who actually arranged to meet up with her. This whole section here is where they're talking about
her running away. >> He offered to give me a ride
up to Phoenix, and with everything in my head,
I was, like, "You know what?
It's just a ride, you know? Like, nothing is going
to happen ." When he got here, I climbed out
of my bedroom window and got into his car. He was, like, "I'm not dropping
you off." And I was, like, you know,
"What are you talking about?" He covered my eyes, so I couldn't see
where we were going. It was really dark. >> Their plan was to get Kat
and utilize her for the purpose of,
of sex trafficking. They knew it going in. Kat was the unsuspecting one
who had no idea, unfortunately. And that's how
her nightmare began. ♪ ♪ >> I went to go wake her up
for school, and I looked in her room,
and I... I didn't see her. I drove all over town looking
for her, and she wasn't there. And that's when we started
realizing that something wasn't right. >> NARRATOR: Kat's parents filed
a missing-persons report. >> So what I'm thinking is,
"My daughter's laying out in the middle of the desert
dying, and she's crying for me, and I can't be there." >> NARRATOR: The night she left
home, Kat was driven 30 miles to Phoenix, where she met
a third man, who she says was the most
frightening of them all: Bryant Flemate. ♪ ♪ >> Bryant was more of the
enforcer, you could say. He told me, "I don't give
a (bleep) who you are." He said, "I own you. I own your body, I own you, and
you have no say in what you do." >> NARRATOR: The men took her
to a hotel. >> And that black truck right
there is Jesse Cisneros's truck. This is Jesse Cisneros. This is Bryant Flemate. They arrive to the hotel
together, and then here comes Kat. >> And that's where Jesse
explains, "You have a client." And I was, like, "What are you
talking about, I have a client?" He was, like, "You're going to
have sex with this man." He was, like, "You're going
to tell him you're 19 and your name is Rose." And this stranger comes in... He did those things to me... He puts the money in the drawer,
and then he leaves. ♪ ♪ It was like my whole world
just collapsed. >> NARRATOR: Over the course of
a week, she was taken to homes
and hotel rooms and repeatedly sold for sex, until someone saw her outside
the hotel, became suspicious, and called the police. >> And then we went
and checked back in, but it was into
a different room. It was at the Comfort Inn,
but it was a different room, it was outside the room
that I showed you. >> She's the only victim I've
had who could tell me specific room numbers
of hotel rooms that they had been taken to. Okay, so they went into
that room 204 that you pointed out
yesterday... >> When she could recall
so much detail, that helped us tremendously in
tracking down who all these players were. At this point I've got charges
on all suspects. So we have three traffickers
in custody right now. So I'm preparing the case for
the county attorney's office, so they can move through
the court process. >> NARRATOR: For Kat, this would
be the beginning of a long and uncertain journey. >> Typically, cases like this
will take anywhere from a year-and-a-half
to, like, two-and-a-half years
to make their way through the court process. >> What we know, in most states, is that traffickers get away
with it. Our research shows that about
27% of victims participate in the court, that they will talk to law
enforcement and give them enough information
to catch the trafficker and move forward. >> (on phone): Hello. >> Hello, this is Vanessa... >> NARRATOR: Many of the unit's
cases don't start with a victim like Kat. So the detectives are finding
other ways to gather evidence against potential traffickers. >> Just calling to chat a little
bit, 'cause... I just didn't know what you're
all about, really. >> When we are doing a operation
where we're talking to pimps, literally, if I don't answer
my pimp's call, I'm not legitimizing myself,
and he's going to drop me. So it is 24/7 all the time. >> At the end of the day,
I gotta take care of you, I gotta make sure
you're straight. I gotta make sure your hair's
done, your nails done, I gotta make sure
you get your beauty sleep, I gotta make sure you have
the proper hygiene. >> The first time
I didn't answer a call, I had to explain myself
the next morning, and he had pulled me ad off
immediately and was screaming at me, because
I didn't answer his call. >> You know, I gotta take care
of everything. You know what I mean? Once everything starts getting
going, and everything starts
getting good, it's a really luxury life. I'm gonna put you in a position
to win. A happy girl makes happy money. >> (laughing) It's all about the money. It is a business to them. A drug is a useable quantity
that can be used up one time, a person can be trafficked over
and over and over again all day long. And that's why it's a such
a growing problem. >> So there he is.
He's responding now. We have him IDed somewhere. "What you looking for
in the one you choose?" Aww.
>> In the one you choose? >> I mean, this is fantastic. This is going to give us... It's an entire transcript. >> So, "I'm not asking for you
to be perfect. I just... I just ask for you
to have loyalty, dedication, and I want some elevation
in your situation." >> He's talking about money. The other part of this is
proving the person behind the computer,
behind the phone, behind the text messages. And that's we do other things
to bolster the case, and in that way, we can prove
this is the person that did all these things, that
I had the conversation with. >> Get him in a telephone
conversation, get him to purchase a,
a Greyhound ticket for me. Get him at the Greyhound station
picking me up. Let's see here. Let's see if we can get him
IDed. His name may not even be Chris,
let's see what we got here. >> So... >> NARRATOR: Another one of the
men she's been talking to online is Dwayne Mathis, and
he has a long criminal record. >> So assault, marijuana,
DV assault, and then he had a couple
of robberies in 2012 and 2011. Armed robbery. 90 days is the most he's,
he's done in jail. >> 90 days for armed robbery. >> Yep... >> So last week, on Tuesday,
I believe, I get a phone call from
a sheriff's deputy out of Albuquerque... >> NARRATOR: The unit has been
working closely with neighboring police
departments, and quickly learned
that Mathis is a suspect in another sex trafficking case,
involving a 16-year-old girl. >> They located her on Backpage
here in Phoenix. And I don't know the
circumstances surrounding it, but according to Glendale,
they believe that that 16-year-old girl out of
Albuquerque coincidentally works for Dwayne. So we're going to have a good
child prostitution charge on him, as well, which is a
class two. >> You've made arrangements
with him that you're coming in
tomorrow at 5:30? >> Tomorrow at 5:30
on the Greyhound, which there will be a Greyhound
pulling in there tomorrow at 5:30.
>> Okay. So I can get it set up
with our FAID guys. >> I will have him on the phone
when he arrives tomorrow to kind of solidify
everything else. I would want, I want him on the
phone as he's pulling in the parking lot,
if we can get him. ♪ ♪ >> Hey, Chris, we're heading
that way. ♪ ♪ >> These guys that are
trafficking the girls are also selling drugs
and involved in gangs and all sorts of other
criminal activities. So we don't know a lot about
this guy's violence potential. (people talking on radio) >> Okay. (radio continues) We're out at 27th and Glendale
at the Greyhound bus station. >> He's in the parking lot,
guys. >> He is, he's right there. Black Lexus right there. >> We got a visual on him. That's definitely our guy. >> Call him real quick, just to
make sure he gets on the phone. >> It's ringing, boss.
Hey, you ready or what? Are you there or where you at? Okay, all right, I just don't
want to be hanging out in front of some scary-ass bus
station by myself, you know what I'm saying? (laughing): That's right. So... all right. >> Boss he's looking down
at his phone. He's not looking around at all. >> You're good to go anytime. >> On me, Eric. I'll take the driver's door. Ready. Move up. >> Are you there? You okay? >> Let it go. And I want you to lay that seat
all the way back, all the way back. Lay it all the way back. Yes, yep. You're good, go ahead and do it. Go ahead, you're good. Now I want you to turn over,
and I want you to crawl out that back door. Crawl out. Do what you're told,
do exactly what you are told. >> Keep your hands out,
just like that. Now pull yourself out. Keep your hands out, hands out. >> Hands. >> Hands out,
keep your hands out. On your belly, on your belly! >> We've got hands. (handcuffs locking) >> Good, thanks for doing what
you're told, all right? Okay? Thank you for doing what
you're told, all right? >> Can you roll
to your left side? >> Okay, do me a favor? Just sit up while I talk to you. It's a respect thing. I'm not going to disrespect you
while I'm in here, I expect you not to disrespect
me, either, okay? All right. All right, all right,
let's get this going, okay? I got more than enough proof to
show that you were out there encouraging an... a female to
lead a life of prostitution. >> That's not true, miss lady. >> Okay, and you know what?
That's okay. I'm just telling you right now,
you, you have every right, you're going to get an attorney,
you can do your thing, you can defend yourself, so... yes, I'm booking you into jail
today on that. >> Is there any, is there any
way I can avoid that? Like, honestly. Like, is there any way that I
can sit here and avoid that? When I say "any way," any way,
I'll... If I could give you some...
>> Okay. >> A real person, that's really
doing this, if I could give you, if I can... if I can... if I can
just be an informant, anything, I... please...
I will be an informant... >> That, and that's all stuff
that you have to discuss with your, with your attorney. >> Please, listen, ma'am, you
don't know what's going to happen if I go to jail
right now. Ma'am, ma'am, ma'am, I know,
ma'am... ma'am, please... >> All right,
just take a breath, let me go do some paperwork. >> Please, just damn, (bleep)
no. This is some bull(bleep). I'm going to jail, and I... (mumbling) >> NARRATOR: With the evidence
they'd collected, the unit was able to help
prosecutor Samantha Caplinger build a sex-trafficking case
against Mathis. >> What we're receiving at the
prosecution level is a better investigation
from law enforcement. They are getting every
loose end that they can to make sure that this person
isn't going to get away with what they did. And we're getting very thorough
investigations, um, and that leads us to be able
to get very strict sentences on these cases. >> NARRATOR: Mathis eventually
pleaded guilty and was sentenced to nine years
and three months in prison. After months struggling
to adjust to life at home, Kat has moved into the Phoenix
Dream Center, which specializes in caring for
survivors of sex trafficking. >> I actually ended up leaving
home on July 25 of 2016, and I was sex-trafficked. (voice breaking): And it was the
worst time of my life. Sorry. >> We are always full. Always full, and it's, it's sad, because we, we need a place
that's bigger for us to be able to help, so we don't
turn anybody away. The girl only gets that one
chance, possibly, to call. And if you don't have a place
for her, then who knows if she's ever
going to call again? >> So how are you feeling like
you're settling in? >> I feel a lot safer here. >> How's your sleep? >> It's a lot better. I'm falling asleep at,
like, 9:30, 10:00. I used to fall asleep at, like,
5:00, maybe 6:00 a.m. Yeah. I didn't even know what sex
trafficking was before I was taken. I didn't know that I would end
up in the situation that I ended up in. It's good to have people up here
that are, like, "You know, I know what you've
been through. I may have not been through
what you've been through, but I've been through
something like that, so I, I can relate to how you
feel, and I'm here for you." >> NARRATOR: Marriah has been
living at the Dream Center for five months. She escaped from her traffickers
two years earlier. >> I was out there for, um,
almost four years. I hated every second of it. I hated every call. I remember putting my phone on
airplane mode sometimes, like, and I would, I would take
the beating that came for that. But I just couldn't, I couldn't
do it for, like, another... I couldn't... I couldn't do it again. But for me, like, like, when I
started, it's, like, all these, like, big promises, and, like, "Oh, you know, you can have
whatever you want, and you can travel and you can
take care of your family and not have to worry
about anything, and I'll keep you safe and make
sure nothing happens to you." And they mentally trap you more,
way more than physically. Physically, I, I could have
gotten away if, if I wanted to. You know, like, 'cause I was out
on the track or in the room
by myself sometimes. So, I mean, I could have,
but it's, like, emotionally and, and mentally, like, they
have you, like, in handcuffs. It's, like, they pick the most
insecure, like, or sad or, like, damaged in some kind of emotional way,
like, female, and then they take them,
and they just, like, build up their head with what... If you don't know what love is,
what you might perceive as love. Then once they get you that way,
then they flip the script, and they tell you, like,
"You're mine," and, or, "This is always
what you're going to be," and, you know,
"You can't do anything else and you can't ever leave,
you can't ever get away." Like, "I'll find you,"
and just crazy stuff, you know? And, like, you believe it. Like, you believe what they say. In that moment, like,
it sounds believable, like, "Nobody will love you past this,
nobody will see past this," sounds believable. So you just, you just believe
it, and then you just go, and you think and you hope
that things will get better, and then they never do. And then... you're just there. And then one day you wake up,
and it's years later, and you're not even
the same person. ♪ ♪ >> NARRATOR: Like many victims
of sex trafficking, Marriah says she was too scared
to tell the police, so nothing ever happened
to the men who trafficked her. >> State of Arizona versus Brayan Alexander Martinez
Aguilar. >> NARRATOR: But because Kat did
work with the police, they were able to arrest not
just the traffickers, but one of the men who paid
to have sex with her. >> And laws changed, also, that
it wasn't a defense for them to say, if they were buying sex
from someone, "I, I don't know
how old they are." We now, in, in Arizona, if, if
the person's under 18, they're getting charged with
child sex trafficking just like a, a trafficker would. >> NARRATOR: The men gave
detectives evidence that helped corroborate
Kat's story. >> Well, sir, in light of the
fact that you entered into a guilty plea in this
matter, you've waived your right
to direct appeal. >> NARRATOR: He took a plea deal and got three years' probation. >> (speaking Spanish) ♪ ♪ >> NARRATOR: Deterring customers
has been a big part of the anti-trafficking effort
in Phoenix. The detectives do undercover
work on the streets. >> It's nice to meet you.
What are you looking for? >> Sex.
>> Sex? >> ¡Sexo, sí!
>> Bueno. >> NARRATOR: They then arrest
the men for the crime of soliciting prostitution. >> Human trafficking only
perpetuates because there's a customer base. If we had no customers,
we had no demand, there would be no trafficking. That's simple economics. >> Is this everybody? >> NARRATOR: On this day, the
detectives are planning a week-long crackdown
on potential buyers. >> So we're going to do a hotel
reversal operation today. >> When I first started, we
would arrest johns all the time. We would do undercover
operations, we would give them a ticket
and send them on their way. >> ...would use that up... >> Then we changed our policy
of how we deal with them. They don't just get a ticket,
they get booked, their photo gets taken. It becomes a little bit more
of a deterrent. >> ...deals all off that, and do
it just like we were doing the, the website. >> NARRATOR: Instead of working
the streets, the unit is using online ads and a website it set up
to attract targets. >> So the decoys that will be
posting ads are Amber, Evelina, Christi, Amanda, Melissa,
Heidi... >> NARRATOR: They schedule
appointments for sex acts in downtown hotels. >> Yes, it is.
What can I do for you? >> Yes, I charge,
but different things cost different prices, period. What were you looking for,
question mark. >> What did we say,
$60 for a quickie? It depends on what you're
looking for and how much... >> That sounds like a challenge.
>> "Daddy Dom"... >> This is a full-time job,
for sure. >> There's a lot of customer
base, there's a lot of demand. >> He just wants to be tied up
by a girl his age. >> There is some stuff on the
streets, but it's not as prominent
as it is on the internet. >> This is like fish in a barrel
right here. This is like throwing chum off
the boat. >> We had developed a program
where we were posting ads, and we were really collecting
all the data of everyone that was contacting
us: phone numbers, who was visiting the website. >> What do you want to do
with my boobs? >> Every single time, we have a
huge portion of the same people contacting our undercover ads. >> Kitty and ass play,
nothing uncovered. >> Can talk more about that when
you get here, period. >> (speaking Spanish) >> Were you looking for BJ,
question mark. If so, I don't do it uncovered, so could you get the flavored
ones, question mark. Getting on the phone
and talking to men just being so vulgar
is a major shift. >> Sounds like you and I are
going to have a fun afternoon, period. >> Fetishes, though, are extra. So I don't know what you
had in mind. >> Now I have my husband
calling. Hello? Uh, I'm at the Extended Stay. We're doing a hotel reversal. All right, I'll call you later. >> Samantha?
>> Yes, dear. >> Hi, about my kids? Oh, by the way, would... How much for a (bleep)job? Ugh. >> I don't know who this guy is,
but he's pretty aggressive. That sounds illegal. There's a lot more fetishes
and deviant behavior that's requested of the women. And that scares me. Just because I hear
what they're asking of me. So I know they're asking the
same thing of somebody who's
actually being trafficked. >> People are, think that
they're paying for something, so they can use and abuse and do
whatever they want, because they believe
that no one will care, no one will report it, nobody's
going to miss them, which, unfortunately, often is true. >> Are you still on your way,
question mark. I'm ready for you, period. >> This guy's going to be here
in 40 minutes, the other guy is going to be
here in 45 minutes. Okay, and we just learned that
our arrest team is in position. Are we good to go with this? >> (on radio):
We're, we're good to go. ♪ ♪ >> Hello.
Are you here for Kayla? >> Yes.
>> Kayla... come on in. Okay. >> Phoenix Police. >> Phoenix Police, hands behind
your back. >> Phoenix Police,
Phoenix Police. >> Put your hands up.
Hands up. >> Behind the back of your head. >> Hi, Phoenix Police, you're
under arrest, take hands out of your pockets. (stammering) >> Put your hands behind
your back, put hands behind your back. >> Hands behind your back,
relax, relax, relax. >> Okay, I will relax.
>> Processing... >> My guy's I.D....
>> Melissa? >> Soliciting an act of
prostitution. >> Her guy was supposed to be
here 15 minutes ago. 15 minutes, 15 minutes,
15 minutes. (knock on door) >> Hey, girl, he's here for you. >> Almost every single male
that I interact with, the first thing
they want to say is, "Whoa, no, no, no, no, no." >> Phoenix Police.
Hands behind your back. >> I'm not doing nothing. >> Hands behind your back. >> "I didn't know. I had no part in it. The girls I interact with are
not trafficking victims." >> I guess I would think that
was probably more so in maybe other countries. >> Well, if I knew that, that
someone was under the control of a pimp doing it forcefully,
I wouldn't, I wouldn't be interested in it. >> NARRATOR: None of the men
arrested in the operation were engaged in sex trafficking, but the detectives wanted
to send a message. >> But human trafficking could
very well have been what you just walked into. And because human trafficking is
so prevalent here in Arizona, our, our requirement went from a
simple ticket to sending you on your way to
now being booked into jail. (phone ringing) When we arrest them, and their
lives are completely shattered because they've now, you know, their pictures end up
on websites, or they end up on the news,
and their wives find out, because their cars have been
towed. I have seen more grown men
crying as a result of being arrested
for, for this crime than any other crime. (talking in background) I don't think johns are held
nearly as accountable as what they should be. I think it's so rare for us to,
as investigators, to actually find the johns and have the evidence necessary
to prosecute them. >> NARRATOR: Though a John
is cooperating in Kat's case, it's taking a long time
to be resolved. >> Anytime we do these cases,
we want to get a photo of what the victim looked
like at the day that they were recovered. We want to be able to show
a jury, because from the time she's
recovered to the time it goes to trial, her appearance
could change drastically, and so this was the photo
that was taken of Kat. >> NARRATOR: With Kat's help, the detectives have been
accumulating evidence against the three men accused
of trafficking her. >> She's got an impeccable
memory, and we were able to find some really great surveillance
footage. We also have, obviously,
the hotel records for the various hotels
she pointed out. We have bedding, some sheets that we'll be sending out
for DNA testing. And we have a couple
of cell phones, but one of the most important cell phones is, is
Rafael's cell phone. >> NARRATOR: But after a year, there has been little progress
in court. >> Case management conference on
two matters, State versus... >> NARRATOR: The three
defendants-- Jesse Cisneros, Rafael Quiroz,
and Bryant Flemate-- have appeared at more than
a dozen preliminary hearings. >> Good morning, your honor. >> I was going to set another... >> It's painstakingly long
sometimes, the time between the arrest and
the time that we see a suspect in trial. And we just don't have any
control over that. >> NARRATOR: Kat has repeatedly
come face-to-face with the three men,
and it's taking a toll. >> I just don't know if I have
enough strength, like, inside of me to continue
doing, and being involved in the case
anymore. This should have been over
a long time ago. >> The victim's cooperation,
and Kat in this case, is absolutely imperative
for us to move forward. Without a victim,
there's no crime. Unfortunately, that's the way
the justice system works when we're talking
about sex trafficking. So if Kat was not to participate
in this case, the suspects would be out,
and we'd be done. ♪ ♪ >> NARRATOR: After living at the
Dream Center for nine months, Kat has moved back home
with her family. >> It's hard to be a parent
and not... >> Look at these nails. >> ...be able to fix what hurts
your kid. She has to get past all this, and she can't get past all of it
when it keeps dragging on. I sent this to the,
the prosecutors: "I've realized through this
process why victims do not report things or trust
our justice system. My daughter is a strong person, but even the strong can only
take so much. She says she's okay,
but as her parents, we know she is not. She's stuck in the trauma
of a 16-year-old girl." >> NARRATOR: As the case has
been developing, Kat's therapist, Carla Grace,
is helping prepare her to take the witness stand
at trial. >> So, Kat, as we get closer, so if you could just let me know
kind of how you're feeling and if things start getting
more activated. Okay, just let me know, okay? With any client, prep time to be
able to stand and to be cross-examined, I think that's one of the most
difficult, vulnerable times. And, you know, can she do it? Probably not today. But knowing that that could be
down the road, then there is a lot of things
to do to prepare for it. >> NARRATOR: Kat has asked
Carla to take her back to the scene of the crime. >> I haven't been over here
since everything happened. >> Say, like, right now, like,
on a scale of zero to ten? >> Like, a seven.
>> Okay. Kat, if there's a certain point
where you're just, like, "Okay, this is close enough,"
just let me know, and we'll pull over, okay?
>> Okay. You can pull in right here. You go straight. >> So where are you now?
>> I'm scared. >> Okay, zero to ten?
>> Eight. It was right at the top of
stairwell. The room was 206. This is the room where Bryant
choked me for the first time. I had just gotten
out of the shower. And he said I was being
disrespectful, because I didn't want to do
nothing. And so I got... I started
getting lippy with him, and he grabbed me by my throat
and pushed me onto a little coffee table
that's in there. And he told me that I was his
(bleep) bitch, so he didn't care. (Kat sniffling, crying) (crying continues) >> (softly): It's okay. Yeah, it's time to just let it
be released. (Kat continues sobbing) ♪ ♪ >> NARRATOR: After
two-and-a-half years, there's finally a break
in Kat's case. She won't have to go through the
ordeal of a trial after all. (talking in background) One of the accused traffickers,
Jesse Cisneros, has agreed to cooperate
with prosecutors in hopes of reducing
his sentence. >> ...ask additional questions,
to fill in some holes for me. >> He was able to corroborate a
lot of what Kat had told me. He was able to talk to me about
the hotels that she was taken to. He gave me the information on
some customers that had, she had been with, who posted
the ads, who took the photos. >> I had Kat take pictures,
everything was on my phone. >> Basically corroborated
everything I already had with Kat. And after he signed
the testimonial agreements, plea deals started happening.
>> That, too. >> NARRATOR: All three of the
men accused of trafficking Kat would end up taking plea deals, sparing her from having to
testify at any of their trials. >> I'm hoping she can really
just kind of put it behind her and focus on going forward. Had we taken this case to trial, they would have spent likely,
you know, the rest of their lives in
prison, or, or pretty close to it. Showing up to court every month and having to face these
people... >> NARRATOR: The men would still
have to go to court for a judge to determine
their sentences. >> ...detrimental to her
healing. >> NARRATOR: In March 2019,
Kat arrived at the courthouse in Phoenix.
>> All rise, please. >> NARRATOR: Jesse Cisneros was
going to be sentenced. >> Thank you, please be seated. >> I'm happy that the trial's
not going through. That should be the one thing
that I get out of all of this, is just the right to,
to happiness, you know? >> Your honor, the victim would
like to speak... >> NARRATOR: She had decided she
wanted to read a statement. >> Okay. I've been waiting for this
moment for almost three years. And I just want
to say the right words; and I want to say
words that'll stick with him for a really long time. I wanted to speak today,
because I really need this to come to an end. (breathes deeply) For the past three years, I have
gone through more than any young adult
should ever have to go through. Court date after court date, I
was forced to see the defendants denying their actions,
knowing very well they, they knew what they
had done to me. It has affected me and my
family, as well as everyone around me. In multiple instances,
the defendants beat me, sexually assaulted me,
starved me, and let other strange men
do the same. (crying) They would hold me down, and when I would beg for them to
stop, they would, they would cover my mouth
and laugh, laugh at the fact
that they were hurting me. Doing something like this
to a person is inhumane, and when they were doing it, they thought about no one
but themselves. I'm going to have to deal with
this for the rest of my life. >> You've seen the victim, and
you've seen the harm that he caused. The fact that she was traded
like property; the fact that she was beaten and
her life was threatened daily is not something that should be
forgotten in this case. And what the state finds the
most reprehensible about this case is that
Mr. Cisneros saw no difference between trading drugs in society and trading victims and females,
such as the victim in this case. >> Thank you.
Mr. Cisneros? Mr. Cisneros, anything you want
to say on your own behalf? >> I don't expect
their forgiveness... But I... I would like them to
know that I deeply am sorry, and I would like them to just be
able to move on from this. >> Well, Mr. Cisneros,
unfortunately, I've had a number of cases like
this, um... I'm frankly shocked. I mean, to abduct a child and
force her into committing sex acts
for money. Difficult to think of something
more despicable than that. That's just, I mean,
it's very disturbing. It's very disturbing. Um, the victim in this case
described it as inhumane, and I think that that's, that's
a good way to describe it. Um, you and your co-defendants
preyed on a child and used her to make money
in the worst possible way that I can think of, by
performing sex acts against her will. Um, it, it's, it's really
a disturbing situation, as all these cases are. The impact that this has had on
the victim is, is obviously the strongest
aggravating factor in this matter. Um, she's going to have to live
with this the rest of her life, no matter what happens. This is going to be something
she is going to have to carry with her, and it's going to
be a burden. >> NARRATOR: The judge gave
Cisneros 24 years for child sex trafficking
and other charges. >> NARRATOR: At his hearing,
Rafael Quiroz was given ten years, and Bryant Flemate 16 years. They will all be on lifetime
sex-offender probation, due to new anti-trafficking laws
in Arizona. >> It didn't hit me until
probably, like, that night at probably, like, 3:00 in the
morning, 4:00 in the morning. I just started crying,
and it was over nothing, and it was just, like, I think
it was just my body telling me, like, "You can breathe, you
know, it's, it's finally over. Like, you can live your life; you don't have to worry
anymore," you know? (siren blaring, radio squawking) >> NARRATOR: Since Phoenix began
its new approach to sex trafficking,
it has seen victories... >> The longer you stay out here,
the higher the risk is. >> NARRATOR: ...but also
new challenges. >> So there isn't really a
centralized place for us to go and look right now,
to help us find the victims. >> NARRATOR: Backpage, the most
popular website for sex traffickers,
was shut down. >> So now we're just trying to
figure out, um, where everybody's going. So these new websites
have popped up. Bedpage, which is almost an
exact replica of Backpage. Then we've got OneBackpage. Basically, it's all of these
different websites now that we don't have, um, any
agreements or search tools with, and they've kind of spread out. So we don't have a certain
location to go look for them anymore. And it's kind of a, a crapshoot. >> There always seems to be this
urgency to, to take things down, to make it inconvenient
for the traffickers. But when you do that, there is
always unintended consequences. So you take down Backpage,
and then, you know, there is more trafficking on the
street, it becomes more violent. >> So he choked you out,
because you wouldn't work? >> Yeah.
>> He come out of nowhere, punched me in the jaw,
choked me. >> I've been raped. He did it to a gang of girls. >> Just be careful of my head, I got beat up real bad this
morning. >> You got jumped this morning? >> The activity out here is more than we've ever seen
in our careers. And we're seeing a lot of girls,
young girls, out here on the streets now. >> What's your first name?
>> Nadia. >> Nadia. Honestly, hon, you don't look
like an adult to me. You look very young. >> Ooh, a lot of freaking cops
just for nothing. >> I think the thing that's
getting harder and harder for us is to figure out
where victims are. >> Come on out, hon. >> Our work is constantly
having to shift, evolve, and we are having to adapt to what the traffickers are
doing with their victims. It's like a cat-and-mouse game. >> Grab her, grab her, grab her!
Hey! >> She's running. >> I think it's the
old-fashioned cops and robbers. We're reacting, obviously, and
we're going to change with how they change, but the
wheel goes round and round in law enforcement. >> Melissa's been working this
guy for two or three days now? >> I just got an "Okay,"
but he said not till 9:00, and that's in 13 minutes. So his life is going to change
in 13 minutes. >> And he's knocking
on the room. >> NARRATOR: For the detectives
in Phoenix... >> Put your hands on your head.
Turn away from me, turn away. >> NARRATOR: ...the fight
against sex trafficking goes on. ♪ ♪ >> For more on this and
other "Frontline" programs, visit our website
at pbs.org/frontline. ♪ ♪ To order "Frontline's"
"Sex Trafficking in America" on DVD, visit ShopPBS,
or call 1-800-PLAY-PBS. This program is also available
on Amazon Prime Video. ♪ ♪
