Prosecuting Pimps Under RICO: the Story of the Nation's First Federal Prosecutor to Fight Child Prostitution Through Organized Crime Laws

THE DOMESTIC PROSTITUTION of children has become a high profile subject in the media, in state legislatures and among advocacy groups. With online sites such as Craigslist and Backpage recently coming under fire as key facilitators in the sex trade industry, individuals are now taking notice of an issue once perceived as mostly an international dilemma. As a result, many states--most recently Texas'--have turned attention to the domestic victims of these crimes, changing law to reflect a child's status as a victim--not a criminal or a prostitute. Indeed, the adults who torment and sell young girls have also seen a change in the way courts view their crimes. For example: