The longest sentence for a human trafficking case in U.S. history, a convicted child sex trafficker in Centennial, was sentenced to 400 years in prison.
Seven people are now guilty for their role in the child sex trafficking ring, the leader Brock Franklin is now going to pay for those actions.
Our Denver affiliate, KDVR, spoke with one of Franklin’s victims.
“I can’t even begin to explain what he did to my life, Breahannah Leary said.
The indictment shows drugs were used to control these women and girls. Franklin forced them to have sex with him. Then he’d sell their services online on sites like Backpage.
Leary stood up in court and told about the horrors Franklin put her through.
“Reading it today, and speaking and actually saying how I felt, and him having to hear and have to sit there and listen to me, that brought me so much joy and that`s why I came today,” she said.
Three girls and five women cooperated with prosecutors during the case and authorities believe many more women out there are victims.
It happens here locally too. One Colorado Springs victim says pimps like Franklin are all part of a network.
One victim, Victoria, said “Whether they tell you or not, they all know each other. They all have some sort of connection, whether they’re passing girls in another state to someone else in a different state, like they all know each other.”
The crimes happen at homes, apartments and hotels, and Victoria says it’s people you wouldn’t suspect purchasing sex with these women and girls.
“In trafficking you get all kinds of people in high powered positions; you know it’s not just the man down the street. It’s police officers, it’s judges, it’s pastors, it’s teachers,” said Victoria.
For those thinking about buying sex, here’s what she wants you to know.
“When you are even responding to a Backpage ad or a Craigslist ad or handing over money, you’re fueling sex trafficking,” said Victoria.
The commitment to combating child sex trafficking across the state is improving, that’s according to a recent national report by Shared Hope International, an organization working to prevent human trafficking. Shared Hope International gives every state a report card based on laws against child sex trafficking.
Colorado is one of only 13 states who, in the past 7 years, raised their grade 3 levels. In 2011, Colorado was given an “F,” but the grade has now improved to a “B.”