Tag: sex trafficking

California Democrats Block Bill to Make Sex Trafficking of Minors a Felony — Again

California Democrats in the State Assembly are once again blocking a bill that would make the sex trafficking of minors a felony — this time for victims age 16 and 17 — preferring instead to give prosecutors discretion.

Notably, some of those prosecutors would be George Soros-backed prosecutors who have avoided enforcing the law in the name of “criminal justice reform,” and whom voters have begun to oust across the state.

The blocking effort is the latest chapter in a saga that began in 2023. As Breitbart News reported at the time, Republican State Senator Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) had introduced a bill to make sex trafficking of minors a “serious felony.” It passed unanimously in the State Senate, but Democrats on the State Assembly’s Public Safety Committee blocked the bill, since they did not want to increase criminal penalties generally.

Faced with public embarrassment, Democrats struck a deal in 2024 with Grove, under which the bill would advance but only if it was limited to victims under the age of 16. Now, a Democrat, State Assemblymember Maggy Krell (D-Sacramento), is trying to make trafficking minors aged 16 and 17 a felony, too — and fellow Democrats are refusing to allow the bill to advance.

Sacramento-area NBC affiliate KCRA reported Monday:

California lawmakers in the Assembly Public Safety Committee are blocking a proposal that would make it a felony to purchase 16 and 17-year-old children for sex.

Assemblyman Nick Shultz, the Democratic chairman of the committee, confirmed AB 379, a bill to crack down on the consumers of the child sex trafficking industry, will move forward on Tuesday, but without the proposed felony charge.

…

“My perspective as chair, there was a carefully crafted deal last year,” Shultz said. “We’re not saying no, but what we’re saying is if we’re going to be thoughtful policy makers, we really need to dive deep into this issue.”

The proposed bill, even without the provisions that Democrats on the Public Safety Committee are blocking, will roll back some of a bill that Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed in 2022 that prevented police from arresting prostitutes for loitering — a bill that led to an explosion of street prostitution, including child sex trafficking.

The bill recalls efforts by State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) to decriminalize various sex crimes involving minors in their late teens, arguing that these penalize the LGBTQ community disproportionately.

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Virginia Giuffre’s Father Says She Wasn’t Suicidal; Demands Investigation

The father of prominent Jeffrey Epstein sexual abuse victim Virginia Giuffre doesn’t believe the narrative that she took her own life last week, and is demanding an independent investigation.

As we highlighted, Giuffre previously stated that she was not suicidal, and her lawyer is adamant there is no evidence to suggest she was. 

She was also involved in a bizarre incident just weeks prior to her death wherein an Instagram post from her account claimed she had been hit by a bus in Australia and had just days to live.

Giuffre’s family issued a statement last week confirming her suicide, but now her own father, Sky Roberts, has spoken out saying he does not buy that narrative.

In an interview with TMZ, he explicitly stated that he doesn’t believe his daughter killed herself.

“My daughter was a fighter,” Roberts said, adding “She was speaking out against some of the most powerful people in the world, and now we’re supposed to believe she just gave up?”

“I don’t buy it. The police need to dig deeper—much deeper,” Roberts added.

Giiffre’s attorney Karrie Louden told The Sun earlier this week that she spoke to her just days before she was found dead, and that she expressed optimism for the future.

“She [Virginia] wanted to renovate this house and all sorts of things like that. There were plans that she had for the future,” Louden urged, adding “things were positive.”

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Rep. Anna Paulina Luna Turns Up the Heat on AG Pam Bondi — Demands Immediate Release of Epstein Client List Amid Deaths of Two Victims and Dwindling Public Trust

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), chairwoman of the Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets, has intensified her demands for Attorney General Pam Bondi to release the long-awaited Jeffrey Epstein client list, citing the recent deaths of two victims and a growing erosion of public trust in the Department of Justice (DOJ).

The fiery congresswoman took to X on Monday, writing:

“2 Epstein victims are now dead. Every day the DOJ delays releasing the Epstein client list, public trust erodes & more lives are put at risk. I am calling on the DOJ and @AGPamBondi to act immediately — release the files. The American people deserve the truth.”

Her urgent call follows the shocking and suspicious death of Virginia Giuffre, one of Jeffrey Epstein’s most high-profile accusers.

Luna’s latest push follows months of frustration with the DOJ’s apparent stonewalling on the release of critical documents related to Epstein’s infamous sex trafficking network.

As chairwoman of the House Oversight Committee’s Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets, Luna has been relentless in her pursuit of transparency, demanding not only the Epstein files but also records related to the assassinations of JFK, RFK, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The Gateway Pundit has previously reported on Luna’s efforts to hold Bondi accountable.

On February 25, 2025, TGP detailed Luna’s public confrontation with the Attorney General, noting that Luna had sent letters to the DOJ on February 11 and 19, requesting updates on the declassification process.

The DOJ’s failure to respond prompted Luna to take her grievances to X, where she wrote, “On Feb 11 & Feb 19, House Oversight sent a letter to the DOJ asking for status on releasing the Epstein files as well as JFK etc. The DOJ has not responded. Reaching out on X because we can’t seem to get a response from the AG. AG Pam Bondi, what is the status of the documents? These documents were ordered to be declassified.”

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‘No signs’ that Jeffrey Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre would take her own life – as her lawyer speaks out on conspiracy fears

Jeffrey Epstein victim and Prince Andrew’s accuser Virginia Giuffre showed ‘no signs’ that she would take her own life, her lawyer has revealed. 

Karrie Louden, who had represented Ms Giuffre, 41, since January, addressed the media outside her client’s farmhouse on Monday as she spoke out on the conspiracy fears surrounding her death.

Giuffre took her own life on Friday night at her farmhouse in Neergabby, north of Perth after the ‘toll of abuse… became unbearable’, according to her family. 

Ms Louden said she was ‘in shock’ and was in contact with her client in the days before her death.

‘This has been a complete shock to all of us,’ she told Daily Mail Australia. 

‘If any of us had thought she’s going to commit suicide, of course we would have taken more steps, put her into a clinic or got her some more help.

‘When I got the phone call, I was like, ‘are you joking?’ Because there was no signs that was something she was considering.’

Ms Louden wouldn’t speculate on the circumstances surrounding the mum-of-three’s death.

‘It’s inconclusive. I’m a defence lawyer and I don’t like to speculate about things until the evidence is in [and] the evidence is not in,’ she said.

‘The police told me nothing, they didn’t even confirm she was dead. It wasn’t suspicious circumstances – it’s suicide or misadventure.

‘I didn’t see her in the room. I wasn’t in there. The family said what the family has said but I’m not going to speculate whether it was suicide or accidental.

‘You’ll all be aware that she’s been in hospital. She’s been on medications.

‘Has she just taken too many painkillers? Was she intentionally doing it? I just, you know… I don’t even know what the cause of death was.’ 

Ms Louden said there were no suspicious circumstances ‘as far as we are aware’.

She is unaware whether a suicide note was left. 

‘Given the recent activities, it’s very likely that we will never know. The police were just very, very vague. I know that she’s gone but how that happened, I don’t know,’ Ms Louden said.

‘I’m not sure we’ll ever know. I mean, sometimes the coroner might say it was suicide, the coroner might say it was misadventure, the coroner might say inconclusive.’

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House Oversight Chair James Comer Accuses Pam Bondi’s DOJ of Stonewalling Epstein Child Trafficking Files

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) accused former Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Department of Justice of stonewalling efforts to obtain critical files related to notorious accused child trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

The Gateway Pundit reported last week that President Donald Trump was asked point-blank about the long-awaited release of documents tied to Jeffrey Epstein during a swearing-in ceremony for Paul Atkins as the new chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A reporter asked, “When can we expect the Epstein documents to be released?”

President Trump responded calmly but pointedly: “I don’t know. I’ll speak to the attorney general about that. I really don’t know.”

During an interview on Full Measure with Sharyl Attkisson, Comer accused Pam Bondi’s DOJ of stonewalling the release of Epstein files.

Comer is the latest Republican to criticize Bondi’s leadership, following Anna Paulina Luna, Rudy Giuliani, Gen. Mike Flynn, and Tom Fitton.

Speaking about the newly formed Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets — which is investigating major scandals including the Epstein files, the JFK assassination, and the 9/11 coverups — Comer exposed the alarming pattern of bureaucratic resistance he has encountered.

“Our task force is trying to reach out and question the bureaucrats, figure out which bureaucrat didn’t comply with the orders,” Comer explained.

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Epstein Survivor Juliette Rose Bryant, Who Was Allegedly Introduced to Bill Clinton, Issues Chilling Warning: ‘I Am Not Suicidal’ — Demands Investigation If Anything Happens to Her After Giuffre’s Suspicious Death

Epstein survivor Juliette Rose Bryant is speaking out — and she’s making it very clear: If anything happens to her, it is not suicide.

The South African native, who claims she was kidnapped by Epstein 20 years ago after meeting him alongside former President Bill Clinton, is demanding a full investigation into any potential harm that may befall her, especially in the wake of fellow Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre’s reported “suicide.”

Virginia Giuffre, one of the most prominent accusers of Jeffrey Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, was found dead by suicide on Friday at her farm in Neergabby, Western Australia.

Her family confirmed the tragic news, stating that the 41-year-old mother of three succumbed to the lifelong toll of sexual abuse and trafficking she endured.

The news has sparked controversy, particularly due to a 2019 social media post by Giuffre that resurfaced after her death.

In it, she wrote, “I am making it publicly known that in no way, shape or form am I suicidal. I have made this known to my therapist and doctor. If something happens to me – for the sake of my family do not let this go away and help me to protect them. Too many evil people want to see me quieted.”

Prominent Republican figures have wasted no time voicing their distrust of the suicide narrative, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Senator Mike Lee (R-UT).

Bryant reposted a video she originally shared two years ago after the death of Jeffrey Epstein victim Carolyn Adriano, who testified against Maxwell.

Carolyn Andriano was found unresponsive in a West Palm Beach hotel in 2023. West Palm Beach police opened an investigation into her death after it was concluded she died of an accidental drug overdose.

Andriano’s mother pleaded with police to investigate her daughter’s death and insisted she was drug and alcohol free.

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Epstein Accuser Virginia Giuffre’s Chilling Warning Resurfaces After Reported “Suicide” — GOP Lawmakers Sound the Alarm

The sudden death of Virginia Giuffre, the courageous whistleblower who exposed the depraved world of Jeffrey Epstein’s sex-trafficking empire, has shocked the world, with prominent GOP lawmakers openly questioning the official narrative of her reported ‘suicide.’

The Gateway Pundit reported on Friday that Giuffre, 41, was found dead at her farm in Western Australia, where she had lived for several years.

According to a statement from her family reported by NBC News, Giuffre took her own life after a lifelong battle with the trauma of sexual abuse and trafficking.

“It is with utterly broken hearts that we announce that Virginia passed away last night at her farm in Western Australia,” her family said in a statement.

“She lost her life to suicide, after being a lifelong victim of sexual abuse and sex trafficking.

“Virginia was a fierce warrior in the fight against sexual abuse and sex trafficking. She was the light that lifted so many survivors.

“In the end, the toll of abuse is so heavy that it became unbearable for Virginia to handle its weight.”

Giuffre’s death comes just weeks after a reported car accident on March 24, 2025, which she claimed left her in critical condition. In an Instagram post on April 1, Giuffre described a collision with a school bus.

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Global Silence As HTS & Allies Take Alawite Women As Sex Slaves In Syria

Since December, when the former Al-Qaeda affiliate, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), toppled the government of Bashar al-Assad, Syria has witnessed a chilling wave of mysterious kidnappings of young women, predominantly from the Alawite community.

Evidence continues to emerge that these women, primarily from the Alawite religious sect, have been abducted and taken to live as sex slaves in Idlib governorate, the traditional HTS stronghold, by armed factions affiliated with the new Syrian government.

Shockingly, the mass kidnapping and enslavement of Alawite women now being carried out by HTS-affiliated factions mirrors the enslavement of the thousands of Yezidi women by ISIS during the 2014 genocide in Sinjar, Iraq.

In a now deleted Facebook post, Hiba Ezzedeen, a Syrian activist from Idlib, described her encounter with a woman she believes was captured and taken to the governorate as a sex slave during the wave of massacres carried out by government-affiliated factions and security forces against Alawites in the country’s coastal areas on March 7.

“During my last visit to Idlib, I was at a place with my brother when I saw a man I knew with a woman I had never met before,” Hiba explained. 

“This man had been married multiple times before and is believed to currently have three wives. What caught my attention was the woman’s appearance – specifically, it was clear she didn’t know how to wear a hijab properly, and her scarf was draped haphazardly.”

After inquiring further, Ezzedeen learned that the woman was from the coastal areas where the March 7 massacres, in which over 1,600 Alawite civilians were killed, took place. “This man had brought her to the village and married her, with no further details available. No one knew what had happened to her or how she got there, and naturally, the young woman was too afraid to speak,” Ezzedeen added.

Because the situation was so strange and alarming to her, she began asking everyone she knew, “rebels, factions, human rights activists,” about the abduction of Alawite women from the coast.  “Unfortunately, many confirmed that this had indeed happened, and not just by one faction. Based on what friends said, accusations point to factions of the National Army and some foreign fighters, with varying motives,” she reported. 

Syria’s new HTS-led security forces have incorporated armed extremist groups, including Uyghurs from the Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP) and Syrian Turkmen from factions of the Turkish-intelligence-backed Syrian National Army (SNA), into their ranks since coming to power in Damascus. 

Various SNA commanders and foreign extremists have been appointed to top positions in the Syrian Ministry of Defense.

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Hollywood Actor Jean-Claude Van Damme Named in Romanian Sex Trafficking Scandal — Actor Accused of Sleeping with Five Victims He Knew were Trafficked

Action movie star Jean-Claude Van Damme has been named in a criminal complaint filed by Romania’s Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT).

The 64-year-old Belgian-born star, known for his high-octane roles in Bloodsport, Kickboxer, and Street Fighter, is accused of knowingly engaging in sexual acts with five Romanian women who were allegedly victims of a human trafficking ring.

The allegations claim the incidents took place roughly a decade ago at an event in Cannes, organized by Van Damme himself.

According to reports from CNN affiliate Antena 3, the women—presented as photo models—were offered to Van Damme as a “gift” by a criminal group already under investigation for pimping and trafficking, led by Romanian businessman Morel Bolea.

Attorney Adrian Cuculis, representing one of the alleged victims, told the news outlet, “The person who received those benefits knew their condition,” suggesting Van Damme was fully aware the women were exploited.

The complaint alleges the actor’s actions violated Romania’s strict laws against human trafficking and exploitation, potentially implicating him in a broader network of cross-border crime.

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Virginia Giuffre says she mistakenly posted claim that she has four days left to live to Instagram as she reveals new details of car crash

Jeffrey Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre has said she mistakenly posted the claim that she had just four days left to live to her public Instagram.

Ms Giuffre, 41, sparked concerns across the globe when she shared a photo of her ‘battered and bruised’ claiming she was dying after being hit by a school bus.

The snap seemed to have been taken from a hospital bed, and Ms Giuffre said a speeding vehicle had ploughed into her car and that doctors had told her she has four days to live.

Today she issued a statement after her post triggered an outpouring of concern for her welfare, as well as questions about the circumstances of a ‘car crash’ that caused her injuries and ‘kidney failure’.

The statement said: ‘Virginia thanks everyone for the outpouring of love and support. She is overwhelmed with gratitude. 

‘Today she remains in serious condition while receiving medical care. On March 24, in rural Western Australia, a school bus hit the car in which she was riding. 

‘The police were called but said that there was no one available to come to the scene. 

‘They asked if anyone was injured and suggested that if they were, they should make their way to the hospital. 

‘The school bus driver had a bus full of distraught children and left the scene to get them back, saying he would file a police report, which he did later. 

‘Virginia was banged up and bruised and returned home. Virginia’s condition worsened and she was admitted to the hospital. 

‘Concerning her Instagram post, Virginia thought that she had posted on her private Facebook page. 

‘Virginia and her family thank everyone for their concern.’

She is currently being treated at Sir Charles Gardiner Hospital in Perth, Australia.

On Sunday, Ms Giuffre, née Roberts, shared a concerning selfie from a hospital bed to her Instagram which showed her severely bruised face and upper body.

The mother – who was trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein and alleged she was sexually assaulted as a teenager by Prince Andrew – said she was suffering from kidney failure after the crash.

She also begged to see her children ‘one last time’ before she dies after claiming doctors said she had just four days to live.

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