AUBURN — A judge on Friday ordered a Lewiston woman to serve 190 days in jail for sex-trafficking. Tina Lagasse, 52, of 527 Main St. agreed to the sentence on the misdemeanor charge that carries a maximum punishment of 364 days in jail. Lagasse was poised to go to trial on the charge when she […]
sex trafficking
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, sj-web
Lewiston woman fails to show up for sex trafficking sentencing
AUBURN — A judge issued an arrest warrant for a Lewiston woman after she failed to attend her sentencing hearing on a sex trafficking charge Friday. Tina Lagasse, 52, of 527 Main St. was scheduled to appear in Androscoggin County Superior Court on Friday afternoon, but after waiting half an hour, Active-Retired Judge Joyce Wheeler issued […]
advertisement
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Lewiston woman admits to sex trafficking charge
AUBURN — A Lewiston woman pleaded guilty Wednesday to sex trafficking, minutes before the start of her trial. Tina Lagasse, 52, of 527 Main St. is expected to be sentenced on the Class D misdemeanor next month. Maximum punishment for the crime is 364 days in jail. Lagasse is free on personal recognizance bail, but […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Documents show Backpage.com has active role in publishing sex-related ads
How the link to Backpage was revealed. A contractor for the controversial classifieds website Backpage.com has been aggressively soliciting and creating sex-related ads, despite Backpage’s repeated insistence that it had no role in the content of ads posted on its site, according to a trove of newly discovered documents. The documents show that Backpage hired […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Sex trafficking forum planned
AUBURN — The Lewiston/Auburn Human Trafficking Collaborative will host a sex trafficking awareness forum for community members and service providers. It will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, June 21, at the First Universalist Church, 169 Pleasant St. It will feature a short documentary film and presentation from a trafficking survivor, followed by an audience Q&A. […]
Posted inConnections
Briefly
Minot church bake sale MINOT — The Minot United Methodist Church will have Easter deserts baked for customers with a bake sale, which will be held from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 15, on the corner of Route 121 and Empire Road. There will be a wide variety of homemade goods to choose from, including breads, cookies, […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Bought and sold: Sex trafficking in Maine
“Cat” was a teenager when it started. Her parents had kicked her out when she was 15. With no family and no place to go, she landed in Lewiston, surviving any way she could. At 19, she thought she’d found a relationship and, finally, a home. Right up until her “boyfriend” demanded she have sex […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Sex trafficking in Maine: What it takes to fight it
Sex trafficking looks different depending on the victim: Adults who get into a relationship only to be terrorized and forced into having sex with strangers. Teenagers who are seduced by an older man or woman and then drugged or otherwise coerced into selling their bodies in exchange for food, drugs or a place to live. […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Man sentenced for sex trafficking
PORTLAND — Prosecutors say one of three people arrested on a charge of operating a sex-trafficking business from a Gorham home has been sentenced to five years in prison. Cumberland County Deputy District Attorney Megan Elam said Monday that 26-year-old Klein Fernandes was sentenced for sex trafficking and aggravated assault. He pleaded guilty to sex […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Gorham man to serve 5 years for sex trafficking
PORTLAND — Maine prosecutors say one of three people arrested on a charge of operating a sex-trafficking business from a Gorham home has been sentenced to five years in prison. Cumberland County Deputy District Attorney Megan Elam said Monday that 26-year-old Klein Fernandes was sentenced for sex trafficking and aggravated assault. He pleaded guilty to […]