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Two pimps may be first to face sentencing under state human-trafficking law

A Suffolk Superior Court jury last week convicted two men on charges of plying addicts with drugs and then forcing them into prostitution - in a Roxbury house whose owner faces his own trial on similar charges - the Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports.

Tyshaun McGhee, 33, and Sidney McGee, 30, and no relation, are scheduled for sentencting tomorrow and face up to 20 years in prison, the DA's office says. Both were convicted of three counts of trafficking a person for sexual servitude; Tyshaun McGhee was also convicted of deriving support from prostitution. The two were acquitted on charges of aggravated rape.

Prosecutors conviced a jury that the two men used free drugs to recruit a pair of women:

One victim, age 24 at the time, told jurors that the defendants approached her outside a Boston hospital and offered her drugs. Her testimony further established that they provided her with crack cocaine and took her to Tyshaun McGhee’s residence, where they posed her in lingerie and took photographs that they later posted online.

A second victim, age 28 at the time, testified that Sidney McGee approached her outside a Boston methadone clinic and brought her to Tyshaun McGhee’s residence, as well. As with the other victim, the defendants posed her in suggestive photographs and posted them in ads online.

The DA's office adds:

Both victims were brought at various times to the Eustis Street residence owned by Fard Ahmed, who is also currently charged with human trafficking for allegedly allowing his property to be used for rampant prostitution in exchange for cash payoffs.

In a statement, DA Dan Conley said:

This was anything but a victimless crime. These women were homeless, drug-dependent, and vulnerable. The defendants ruthlessly exploited them through prostitution. This case is a perfect example of why we fought so hard for a human trafficking statute in Massachusetts, and why our enforcement efforts today target pimps and johns.

The state's human-trafficking law, partially written by Conley and Attorney General Marth Coakley, was passed in 2011.

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Comments

People do all kinds of things to get money to support their drug habits. Do you target what they do to get the money, or do you target the meth?

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You target the addiction. Provide wide open access to treatment facilities, decriminalize possession.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/evaluating-drug-decriminaliza...

Addiction is a public health and medical problem. Treat it as such, and the criminal follow-on problems are diminished as the number of addicts decreases and the market for the drugs shrinks.

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We haven't found some miracle cure," Goulão says. Still, taking stock after nearly 12 years, his conclusion is, "Decriminalization hasn't made the problem worse.

If you think Portugal's drug policy would be effective in the US you must be high as a kite. With a population of only ~10 million and over a decade of implementation they still aren't even sure of its effectiveness.

His greatest concern is that his country has given up on the idea of a drug-free world. How, Pinto Coelho asks, is it possible to keep young people away from drugs, when everyone knows exactly how many pills can legally be carried around? He still believes deterrents are the best form of prevention and that cold turkey withdrawal is the best treatment method. He is also fighting the extensive methadone program Portugal began as part of its drug policy reform, which now provides tens of thousands of heroin addicts with this substitute drug.

Methadone isn't treatment... its a substitute. Also, much like prisons (see: prison industrial complex), rehab centers will still be businesses; businesses that need to fill their beds with addicts in order to get paid. If these are the types of programs you're suggesting we implement on a much larger scale than we currently are then hmmmm, I'll pass!

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"Methadone isn't treatment... its a substitute."

Thanks for your thoughtful analysis of this complex issue.

"Also, much like prisons (see: prison industrial complex), rehab centers will still be businesses; businesses that need to fill their beds with addicts in order to get paid."

By that principle, we shouldn't bother with any sort of medical care, since hospitals that secretly control things will intentionally keep making us sick so they can fill their beds.

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All the thoughtful analysis I need can be found on Southampton St., feel free to go see for yourself. Or, how about sharing some of your own thoughts on this "complex issue" rather than simply questioning mine in a sarcastic tone?

Hospitals are bound by law to do whatever they can to help someone in need of medical attention. Prisons or drug treatment programs aren't governed in the same manner so your comparison just makes you seem like a fool, though I'm sure you're not...

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Well instead of just shooting down every idea brought up, what are you bringing to the table?

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I actually almost sat in this jury. My company had already booked me for travel while the trial would have been running and, while not pleased, the judge let me off with a hardship since even if I had been seated they would not have had a full jury by the end of the first day of jury selection.

I'm curious as to what led to not finding them guilty on the rape charges.

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Yes, they were guilty, not only of rape, but of kidnapping and holding the women hostage, taking photos without their permission (violation of privacy rights), assault, and drug trafficking as well as sexual slavery. Were they charged with any of these other crimes? And the "Johns" - can you imagine these pigs getting off sexually on women who are drug addicted, coerced and held prisoner? What is their criminal, let alone moral, responsibility?

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