VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - A local man is being held in jail without bond after being accused of sex trafficking a 16-year-old girl in Norfolk and Virginia Beach.
The News 3 Investigative Team dug up new information that exposes this problem in Hampton Roads.
Tanya Gould is a survivor turned advocate. She said she was trafficked for almost two years – today she is helping other survivors and working to make change.
“I was 18 and graduated from high school when I met my trafficker,” said Gould. “My vulnerabilities were from being sexually abused as a child and being in adult situations as a child not getting the justice that I deserve.”
She said the man that trafficked her provided her with support, validation and listened to her.
“What I was looking for was unhealthy. I didn't know it was unhealthy,” said Gould.
Freekind is a non-profit based on the Peninsula that helps victims.
“Often times when a person is being groomed or trafficked they have no idea that they are being victimized,” said Joy Dudley, the Freekind Survivor and Empowerment Director.
One recent case in Virginia Beach highlights some of the problems.
Court documents reveal that 34-year-old Derrell Oglesby was accused of sex trafficking a minor. It states a 16-year-old runaway from a group home said she met him and two women at a 7-11 in Norfolk.
She said the man asked her if she need help, took her to a motel and the teen said she was forced to have sex with numerous people, according to court documents. It states that she told authorities that she would walk the strip to get clients and then hand the money over to the adults.
Oglesby denied an interview request from us from jail.
Dudley said in many cases they’re using their victims to exploit them for gain financial gain.
“So, you see those repeated clients because they can use that person over and over again and make money,” said Dudley.
She told authorities she was given cocaine, pills, marijuana, and alcohol.
“It’s the number one formal control that we see is substance abuse,” said Dudley.
Documents state that she claimed to have a gun pointed at her head when seen talking to another man and tried to leave but couldn’t. Gould said when she was being trafficked she experienced violence and feared for her life.
“There were many times, where I had a gun to my head and knife put up to me. Items were stolen from me. There are times that I’ve been definitely hurt and abused by buyers,” said Gould.
May 16th Virginia Beach Police were called during a fight at an Oceanfront hotel between the women.
The teen told authorities she was being trafficked and she was taken away.
“When we talk about trafficking we’re always saying it’s the exploitation of vulnerability,” said Dudley.
Experts warn parents to monitor their children’s social media accounts, pay attention to changes in behavior, and who they are spending time with.
“The people that are being identified as being trafficked, they are in our families, they are in our close communities and neighborhoods,” said Gould.
If you need help: https://www.dcjs.virginia.gov/human-trafficking/human-trafficking-response-virginia
