Massachusetts Criminal Defense Attorney Blog
Ronald Keplin of Woburn, Massachusetts and Xiu Chen of Medford, Massachusetts are being arraigned today in the Somerville District Court. Both are being charged with Deriving Support from Prostitution, Human Trafficking and Keeping a House of Ill Fame. Wickedlocal.com reports that Chen and Keplin ran a large enterprise spanning several Massachusetts cities and town including Billerica, Wilmington, Woburn, Bedford, Medford and Reading. Women were brought in from several neighboring states on buses and housed in places considered substandard. They were made to work daily primarily in massage parlors and wellness centers. During a press release it was alleged that the victims in these operations were promised legitimate jobs thereby making their move to Massachusetts attractive. In reality, they were forced into a life of prostitution. It is further alleged that these victims were threatened and implicitly forced to remain in the employ of the defendants. Their services were advertised on the Internet. Transportation to and from the business establishments was provided by Chen and Keplin as were housing accommodations. The defendants will probably be prosecuted in the Middlesex Superior Court.
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Massachusetts Sex Trafficking Defense Lawyer
Lawyers Who Defend Sex Crime Allegations in Middlesex County Massachusetts
Any Massachusetts Criminal Lawyer will tell you that Human Trafficking Cases in Massachusetts are being indicted at a rapid pace. What used to be known as pimping cases has evolved into this new crime called Human Trafficking. That is due in part to federal funding of local law enforcement agencies to fight this activity and a public outcry against the criminal exploitation of women. The crimes themselves have become much more of a global problem due to the facility with which these enterprises can be operated through the use of the Internet. The Human Trafficking Statute permits and in some instances mandates sentences much greater than the pimping statute. This makes your choice of a criminal lawyer more important now than ever before. An experience lawyer might try and win your case. But there are instances where it might be more beneficial to have the charges reduced to something more consistent with the act actually committed rather than the sometimes sensationalized accusation of Human Trafficking.
So how can someone like Keplin or Chen defend this case? Much of that depends on who will be testifying against them and how that person connected with law enforcement. Usually, one of the women working at the establishment gets arrested for an act of Prostitution. Then, for self-preservation purposes that person tells a story much more exaggerated than the real event. Their cooperation can result in charges not getting filed or pending charges being dismissed. Absent some significant corroboration from of this person’s story what looked like a horrible Human Trafficking story becomes a simple prostitution case and the defendants no longer face lengthy prison sentences.
The Law Offices of Stephen Neyman, PC has defended many cases like this one with excellent results. If you are in troubled you need to hire a lawyer. Call our office at 617-263-6800 or send us an email so that we can discuss your case. We believe that there is a defense to every case and we are prepared to defend you no matter what charges you are facing.