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Call Us at: 954-736-2400 | Open Monday to Friday 9am – 5pm

Story of Justice: CCLA Secures Faith a Clean Slate

For one year, I was trafficked by someone who introduced himself to me as Kyle (my trafficker). I met my trafficker when I had just turned seventeen years old. Growing up, I had a difficult family dynamic. My parents divorced, and I was raised by my father who struggled with addiction and disabling mental health issues. My brother and I lived in public housing and experienced neglect and abuse from many adults/caregivers in our life.

When I met my trafficker, he appeared to be important because he had a nice car and money. He was very polite and appeared to have a genuine interest in me. On our dates, he was very kind to me and appeared as though he was only interested in getting to know me. During this time dating, he made no sexual advances, and we had no sexual contact. I trusted him.

Then, he invited me to take an overnight trip with him. This was the turning point. I packed for a weekend trip and included specific identification documents my trafficker told me to bring. On the way, he pulled into a motel on the outskirts of town. My trafficker told me that he wanted me to meet someone. When he brought me into the motel room, there was another young woman there. The young woman immediately began yelling orders at me while my trafficker watched. I was upset and confused. When I attempted to leave, my trafficker physically stopped me by blocking the door and pushing me.

My trafficker took my identification, money, and house keys. He then assaulted me. The incident ended with him forcefully pushing a knife to my neck while he asked me if I wanted to live or die. I stopped fighting back because I knew he would kill me. My trafficker made me have sex and give him the money. I was expected to work a “track” and walk the streets until I made enough money for the night or risk more physical punishment.

After a year of being trafficked through several locations, in and out of the country, I was able to escape. I was so exhausted at that point, I would follow his commands without question, so he was starting to trust me. Because of this, he finally let me fly alone with my identification and I was able to escape and return home.

During my time being sex trafficked, I was arrested several times, including in Broward County, Florida for prostitution and providing fake identifying documents to law enforcement. After my escape, my criminal record hindered me from moving forward in my life. It was a constant reminder of my victimization. It prevented me from obtaining public housing, pursuing my education, and obtaining my dream job.

I was referred to Coast to Coast Legal Aid of South Florida by my case manager. My Coast to Coast Attorney guided me through the process and was with me every step of the way. My Coast to Coast Attorney worked with the Broward County State Attorney’s Office and was able to expunge all my criminal charges related to my victimization!

I am now able to move forward with school and my career. Thank you Coast to Coast Legal Aid for helping me keep my past as a victim in the past and enter the future as a survivor with a clean slate. This expungement is life changing!

For more information about Coast to Coast Legal Aid of South Florida (CCLA), please explore our website.
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*Names, images, and details have been changed to protect our client’s privacy

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