International Journal of Cultic Studies ■ Vol. 9, 2018 27
saying, “I own you you do what I tell you I
know where your parents live.”
397F
398 Thomas felt
trapped and scared for herself, her family, and
her roommates. Thereafter, he verbally and
physically coerced her to perform sex for money
with “buyers” and physically abused her.
398F
399
Thomas was under this man’s control for at least
a year.
399F
400 He coerced her to perform sex acts for
clients and to continue modeling, with him
serving as her agent and getting paid.
400F
401
Knowing that she was raised in a Christian
home, he quoted scripture to manipulate her into
doing what he wanted, and he claimed to hear
God’s word.
401F
402 He also used her to recruit other
women in similar ways that she was
recruited.
402F
403
Eventually, law enforcement was tipped off
about this man, and Thomas was brought to a
station house to discuss the business.
403F
404 Thomas
began reading literature about other cults and
realized that this pimp was similar to cult
leaders.
404F
405 The FBI arrested Jones and posted
his capture on the evening news.
405F
406 In response
to a telephone hotline, over seventy-five viewers
provided information to the authorities within an
hour.
406F
407 Authorities learned that Jones had
visited all six colleges in the Atlanta area and
had recruited women from each into this
prostitution ring.
407F
408
Jones was sentenced to 15 years on charges of
sex trafficking and violations of the federal
Mann Act.
408F
409 The Department of Justice issued
a press release acknowledging that the case
proved that “human trafficking can occur
398 See id.
399 See id.
400 See id.
401 See id.
402 See id.
403 See id.
404 See id.
405 See id.
406 See id.
407 See id.
408 See id.
409 DEP’T OF JUSTICE, supra note 388 see 18 U.S.C. § 2421 (West
2016) (formerly § 398) makes it an offense to transport in
interstate comer females for purposes of prostitution or for other
immoral purposes.
anytime, anywhere, and against any vulnerable
victim, including U.S. citizens and college
students.”
409F
410
Thomas surmises that traffickers and cult leaders
have similar traits.
410F
411 In her case, the “agent”
manipulated her into
411F
412 believing that God
would be vengeful should she not comply with
his demands.
412F
413 He used other tactics with other
women for example, he acted as a father figure
to women with no fathers. With over 75 victims,
this modeling ring could be categorized as a
“commercial cult.”
What would be the result of a trafficking
prosecution of Alan Steed of FLDS in the
coerced marriage of fourteen-year-old Ellisa
Wall to her older first-cousin?
413F
414 Arguably, a
court could use broad definitions of sex
trafficking to find that Jeffs profited from forced
marriages of his followers (“anything” of
value).
414F
415 Would a court view membership and
procreation as a form of forced servitude for the
greater Church?
Whether it is a doomsday cult on our soil, or
abroad, the human trafficking laws provide a
framework, resources, and an international
community to prevent and combat future
tragedies. Recent court cases in the United
States have shown courts’ expanding views of
the rights of trafficked victims to see restitution
and freedom from their constricted employ.
415F
416
These more recent cases, and the human
trafficking statutes, can be the basis for future
causes of action on behalf of cult victims and in
the criminal prosecution of cult leaders.
410 Id.
411 Thomas, supra note 388.
412 Id.
413 Id.
414 See supra text accompanying notes 20−52.
415 As discussed supra, the anti-trafficking statute prohibits “any
sex act on account of which anything of value is given to or
received by any person.” See 22 U.S.C.A. § 17102 (West 2015).
The phrase “anything of value” could be interpreted as
encompassing a broad range of benefits brought to a cult through
sexual exploitation of its adherents to recruit new members.
Arguably, Jeffs’ church benefited with increasing membership,
thus procreation among its members brought the church “value.”
416 See generally State v. Jeffs, 243 P.3d 1250 (Utah 2010)
Menocal v. GEO Group, Inc., 113 F. Suppl. 3d 1125 (D. Colo.
2015).
saying, “I own you you do what I tell you I
know where your parents live.”
397F
398 Thomas felt
trapped and scared for herself, her family, and
her roommates. Thereafter, he verbally and
physically coerced her to perform sex for money
with “buyers” and physically abused her.
398F
399
Thomas was under this man’s control for at least
a year.
399F
400 He coerced her to perform sex acts for
clients and to continue modeling, with him
serving as her agent and getting paid.
400F
401
Knowing that she was raised in a Christian
home, he quoted scripture to manipulate her into
doing what he wanted, and he claimed to hear
God’s word.
401F
402 He also used her to recruit other
women in similar ways that she was
recruited.
402F
403
Eventually, law enforcement was tipped off
about this man, and Thomas was brought to a
station house to discuss the business.
403F
404 Thomas
began reading literature about other cults and
realized that this pimp was similar to cult
leaders.
404F
405 The FBI arrested Jones and posted
his capture on the evening news.
405F
406 In response
to a telephone hotline, over seventy-five viewers
provided information to the authorities within an
hour.
406F
407 Authorities learned that Jones had
visited all six colleges in the Atlanta area and
had recruited women from each into this
prostitution ring.
407F
408
Jones was sentenced to 15 years on charges of
sex trafficking and violations of the federal
Mann Act.
408F
409 The Department of Justice issued
a press release acknowledging that the case
proved that “human trafficking can occur
398 See id.
399 See id.
400 See id.
401 See id.
402 See id.
403 See id.
404 See id.
405 See id.
406 See id.
407 See id.
408 See id.
409 DEP’T OF JUSTICE, supra note 388 see 18 U.S.C. § 2421 (West
2016) (formerly § 398) makes it an offense to transport in
interstate comer females for purposes of prostitution or for other
immoral purposes.
anytime, anywhere, and against any vulnerable
victim, including U.S. citizens and college
students.”
409F
410
Thomas surmises that traffickers and cult leaders
have similar traits.
410F
411 In her case, the “agent”
manipulated her into
411F
412 believing that God
would be vengeful should she not comply with
his demands.
412F
413 He used other tactics with other
women for example, he acted as a father figure
to women with no fathers. With over 75 victims,
this modeling ring could be categorized as a
“commercial cult.”
What would be the result of a trafficking
prosecution of Alan Steed of FLDS in the
coerced marriage of fourteen-year-old Ellisa
Wall to her older first-cousin?
413F
414 Arguably, a
court could use broad definitions of sex
trafficking to find that Jeffs profited from forced
marriages of his followers (“anything” of
value).
414F
415 Would a court view membership and
procreation as a form of forced servitude for the
greater Church?
Whether it is a doomsday cult on our soil, or
abroad, the human trafficking laws provide a
framework, resources, and an international
community to prevent and combat future
tragedies. Recent court cases in the United
States have shown courts’ expanding views of
the rights of trafficked victims to see restitution
and freedom from their constricted employ.
415F
416
These more recent cases, and the human
trafficking statutes, can be the basis for future
causes of action on behalf of cult victims and in
the criminal prosecution of cult leaders.
410 Id.
411 Thomas, supra note 388.
412 Id.
413 Id.
414 See supra text accompanying notes 20−52.
415 As discussed supra, the anti-trafficking statute prohibits “any
sex act on account of which anything of value is given to or
received by any person.” See 22 U.S.C.A. § 17102 (West 2015).
The phrase “anything of value” could be interpreted as
encompassing a broad range of benefits brought to a cult through
sexual exploitation of its adherents to recruit new members.
Arguably, Jeffs’ church benefited with increasing membership,
thus procreation among its members brought the church “value.”
416 See generally State v. Jeffs, 243 P.3d 1250 (Utah 2010)
Menocal v. GEO Group, Inc., 113 F. Suppl. 3d 1125 (D. Colo.
2015).
