By Lindsay Raynor | Capitol News Service
With the passage of House Bill 1964 and Senate Bill 1188, Virginia is the final state in the nation to enact a stand-alone law against human trafficking, officials say. Both bills were passed unanimously in the General Assembly and have been signed into law by Gov. Terry McAuliffe.
Statistics show why such legislation is needed.
There are 25 active cases against human traffickers in Henrico County, according to Mike Feinmel, the assistant commonwealth’s attorney there. Last year, Fairfax County received reports of 79 traffickers, but the state could prosecute only 10, Bill Wolfe, the lead detective for the Fairfax County Police Department’s Human Trafficking Unit.
“Four or five years ago, when I got thrown into human trafficking, I really didn’t know what it was,” Wolfe said.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, human trafficking is the second fastest-growing crime in the U.S. Officials say that is because traffickers often can make a lot of money without getting caught.
Read the full article here: http://rvanews.com/news/virginia-closes-legal-gap-on-sex-trafficking/124383
