The heartbreaking ordeal of Natalie Kramer, a 15-year-old from Texas who was kidnapped during a Dallas Mavericks game and rescued 10 days later from sex traffickers in Oklahoma “It's a reminder that it can happen to anyone,” an expert told FOX. News Digital.
“Victims of human trafficking can look like anyone, and traffickers can look like anyone. Too often people say, 'It won't happen to me, it won't happen to me. It doesn't happen in my country, it doesn't happen in my community, it doesn't happen.'' “It doesn't happen to people here,'' said the legal representative for dozens of sex trafficking victims. said Stephanie Ovales, an attorney with the Center for Safety and Transformation who has served as a lawyer for people. “To rely on this as a blanket statement is to be naive about what human trafficking looks like.”
Every two minutes around the world, a child is sold into sex slavery. According to the nonprofit Safe House Project, 300,000 of the 4.8 million total victims of sex trafficking are American children.
It is estimated that sex trafficking generates more than $150 billion in profits for traffickers and their intermediaries. US Department of State.
Texas teenager abducted from Dallas Mavericks explains why she was separated from her father at an NBA game
On April 8, 2022, Natalie Kramer and her kidnapper Emanuel Cartagena were seen walking together at the American Airlines Center. (Dallas Police Department)
Natalie Kramer, now 18, was just 15 when she attended a Mavericks game at American Airlines Center with her father. in dallas April 8, 2022.
Kramer, who is now sober and aiming to get his GED, told WFAA that he relied on marijuana and alcohol to deal with his anxiety at the time, and that he started feeling anxious once the fight started.
Kramer told his father he was going to the bathroom, but he left his cell phone on the seat and did not return. In the arena concourse, Cramer made eye contact with the alleged kidnapper, Emmanuel Cartagena, 33.
Cramer said he and Cartagena walked back to their car, where they said they had marijuana to smoke. The second person met them in the parking lot, and the three drove to a home in North Texas.
“He didn't tell me there was anyone else he was with,” Kramer said. “He was the only one. He said he was walking back to his car, which was parked in the parking lot…garage…and then a second man came in. He told me it was inside.”
Texas girl trafficked from Dallas Mavericks game at hotel by men with 'AK-47 style' rifles: lawsuit
Oklahoma City Police have arrested Saniyah Alexander, Melissa Wheeler, Chevan Gibson, Kenneth Nelson, Sarah Hayes and Karen Gonzalez in connection with the human trafficking case of a 15-year-old girl who attended a Dallas Mavericks game. , Talia Gibson, and Stephen Hill were arrested. (Oklahoma City Detention Center)
“They gave me marijuana,” she told WFAA. “But they had more than that in mind.”
Ovalles told Fox News Digital that the story of how Kramer ended up in the hands of his captors underscores the importance of having difficult conversations with children to save their lives.
“What I learned from several articles is that the point of no return is that [Cramer] That was while she was being raped, not before that,” Ovalles said. “Don't chase this guy into the parking lot” or “We got to this parking lot and now there's another guy here.” That's why it's so important to raise awareness of this problem in the world in hopes of further prevention. ”
In some ways, Cramer's case is unusual, Obares said, noting that “kidnappings in this manner are not that common. [although] It exists. ”
Texas girl, 15, trafficked from Dallas Mavericks game. Eight people arrested in Oklahoma: Police
Negative reviews of ESA – Oklahoma City Airport Hotel mention prostitution occurring on-site. (Dallas County Lawsuit)
Obares said most victims are forced into sex trafficking by someone they already know, such as a boyfriend or family member.
“But everything that happened [to Cramer] rear [she was abducted] “This is pretty much consistent with what we see in other human trafficking cases,” Ovalles said, referring to the physical violence she suffered.
The way Kramer was induced into sex trafficking falls under the category of “guerrilla pumping,” in which traffickers violently coerce victims into sudden sexual labor.
Ovales said it is common for a lover to gradually induce a victim into sex work, a technique known as “Lover Boy Pimping.”
“It starts with an older man pretending to be in a relationship with you, and at some point he changes his attitude and says things like, 'I have debts to pay,' or 'I really could use some help, but you don't. You're doing this for me because you love me,'' Ovalles explained. “That's how they end up in this situation. They end up staying there through coercion.”
Texas girl trafficked from Dallas Mavericks game listed as 'fugitive' before nude photos leaked
Oklahoma City authorities have arrested and charged eight people after a 15-year-old Texas girl was allegedly trafficked to a Dallas Mavericks game at American Airlines Center on April 8th. (Getty Images)
Kramer was rescued after her family hired a private investigator in Houston who specializes in kidnapping cases. Within minutes, they found a photo of Kramer posted in an online sex ad and were able to track her whereabouts to Oklahoma City.
While it may seem brazen for a trafficker to post a photo of a kidnapped girl online, Ovales says it's not uncommon and that “johns can safely view online advertisements aimed at children. There are quite a number of networks that can do this.”
The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives passed the FOSTA and SESTA bills in 2018, clarifying existing sex trafficking laws and adding to the backpage and sex trafficking laws used to promote sex work and commonly used by traffickers. Sites such as Zlist's personal information section have been shut down.
Nowadays, such ads and photos are relegated to the corners of the dark web, but are still accessible to those who are looking enough.
“They'll find a way. They'll say, 'Is this website shut down? We'll just recalibrate and go somewhere else,'” Ovalles said. “Human traffickers are very savvy. There's a reason this is a multibillion-dollar industry.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
A view of American Airlines Center in Dallas, December 17, 2020. (Jerome Miron-Iman Images)
Kidnapped children aren't the only ones featured in these ads – Ovales said there are more children being forced to share intimate photos through “sextortion.”
“Children can be caught up in a sex trafficking scheme without ever leaving their home,” she says. “Predators befriend them on social media, catfish them, get them to send sexually explicit content, and then use that badge to say, 'I'm going to expose this, I'm going to send it to all your friends and family.' Members who obtain more sexually explicit content.
Saniya Alexander, Melissa Wheeler, Schwan Gibson, Kenneth Nelson, Sarah Hayes, Karen Gonzalez and Talia after the arrest of Cartagena, the man who allegedly took Ms. Cramer back to her car in the first place before she was trafficked. Eight people were arrested, including Gibson and Stephen Hill. According to WFAA, he was charged with sexual assault of a child by U.S. Marshals in January 2023. However, a Dallas County grand jury decided there was not enough evidence to indict him.
Ovalles said he was not surprised the man was not charged. “Although progress has been made in the field of human trafficking and convictions are increasing, the conviction rate is very low relative to the number of victims, so it is effective as a deterrent.” is. ”
Kramer's parents filed a lawsuit against the Oklahoma City Airport Hotel and others, alleging they failed to recognize obvious signs that their daughter was being held against her will and trafficked.
But Ovales said the family is unlikely to prevail in court.
“I can't speak to what the case law in Oklahoma is on this issue, but it's very difficult to hold hotels accountable when the traffickers themselves aren't being persecuted for trafficking.” “I guess so,” she said. “It's difficult to hold the hotel responsible. You have to show that they were fully aware that something like this was happening and that she was a minor. There must be a lot of precedent. is.”
