Office on Violence Against Women Announces New Funding Opportunity for Sexual Assault Justice Initiative to Improve Sexual Assault Prosecutions

The Justice Department’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) today announced the release of a new $2.8 million funding opportunity as part of OVW’s Sexual Assault Justice Initiative (SAJI).  Launched in April 2015, the SAJI is an opportunity to improve how the justice system in general, and prosecution in particular, handles sexual assault cases.  This funding announcement will support approximately eight pilot sites to receive up to $400,000 to implement performance measures that reflect promising practices for prosecuting sexual assault and promote justice for victims.

“Very few victims report their assaults to law enforcement,” said Principal Deputy Director Bea Hanson of the Office on Violence Against Women.  “But among victims who do report, the reality is that many will likely see their cases dropped during the investigation or prosecution stage.  We know that sexual assault cases can be difficult to prosecute and we see the Sexual Assault Justice Initiative as an opportunity for prosecutors to learn about, and implement, effective practices for sexual assault prosecution.  The goal is to look beyond convictions to see what prosecutors can do to hold offenders accountable and provide victims with the justice they deserve.”

The demonstration initiative is designed to strengthen the justice system’s response to sexual violence and enhance collaborations among sexual assault victim services providers, law enforcement agencies, and sexual assault medical forensic services providers.  With funding from the Grants to Encourage Arrest Policies and Enforcement of Protection Orders Program, the Rural Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, and Stalking Grant Program and the Tribal Governments Grant Program, SAJI sites will be able to use the funds to strengthen services in their communities that support sexual assault victims.

Each pilot site will receive technical assistance from AEquitas: The Prosecutor’s Resource on Violence Against Women to implement the performance measures and enhance their approach to prosecuting sexual assault. Sites will also participate in the evaluation of the initiative.

Applications for the SAJI demonstration initiative are due on Oct. 13, 2015.  The solicitation is available at www.justice.gov/ovw/open-solicitations and www.grants.gov.  For information on the Office on Violence Against Women and its grant programs, visit www.justice.gov/ovw.

About the Office on Violence Against Women

Created in 1995, the Office on Violence Against Women provides federal leadership in developing the Nation’s capacity to reduce violence against women through the implementation of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and subsequent legislation.  OVW administers financial and technical assistance to communities across the country that are developing programs, policies and practices aimed at ending domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking.  To learn more, visit www.justice.gov/ovw.

Office on Violence Against Women Announces Online Resource Center for Institutions of Higher Education

The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) today announced the launch of The Center for Changing Our Campus Culture (www.changingourcampus.org a new comprehensive online clearinghouse on sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking on campus.  This new website provides the latest information, materials and resources for campus administrators, faculty and staff, as well as campus and community law enforcement, victim service providers, students, parents and other key stakeholders to use to improve campus safety.

“The launch of this website reaffirms the department’s commitment to providing campuses with tools to develop and implement effective responses to sexual and dating violence on campus,” said Deputy Attorney General Sally Quillian Yates.  “The department commends campus leaders for championing these issues and for their dedication to bringing about lasting changes on their campuses.”

Since the release of Not Alone: The First Report of the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault on Jan. 22, 2014, the Justice Department, in partnership with the Department of Education, has strengthened federal enforcement efforts and provided institutions of higher education with tools to help combat sexual assault and domestic violence on campus.

“Colleges and universities across the country are looking for resources to improve their response to sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking on campus," said Principal Deputy Director Bea Hanson of the Office on Violence Against Women.  "Visitors to the website will have access to cutting-edge tools, including sample policies, protocols, and best practices, that can be adapted and replicated on colleges and universities across the county."

Content for The Center for Changing Our Campus Culture website was provided by OVW and its Grants to Reduce Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Dating Violence and Stalking on Campus Program technical assistance providers, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The center will continue to work collaboratively to update and maintain the website and will seek guidance and input from campus-based experts, campus communities, and grassroots groups committed to ending sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking.

FBI Top Stories: Sex, Lies, and Videos

Two Receive Life Sentences for Preying on Aspiring Models

Some of the aspiring young models thought they were getting the chance of a lifetime when they showed up in South Florida to audition for a man they believed to be a legitimate talent scout. Instead, they were drugged and raped on camera—and the resulting videos were sold on the Internet.

The two men responsible for this depraved scheme—one a former police officer and the other a self-described porn star—were sentenced to 12 consecutive life terms in prison earlier this year, thanks in part to the investigative efforts of Special Agent Alexis Carpinteri, Det. Nikki Fletcher of the Miramar Police Department, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.

“These are probably two of the worst offenders I have ever seen,” said Carpinteri, who works in our Miami office. “There were many more victims than the multiple women who were represented at trial.”

Beginning in 2006, if not before, the subjects used Internet modeling sites as their “hunting grounds” to lure potential victims, Carpinteri said. They understood the industry well enough to impersonate representatives from major multinational companies.

The young women, many aged 18 to 22, agreed to come to Miami believing they were auditioning for a commercial for a prominent liquor company. They were persuaded to come alone because they were told family or boyfriends would be a distraction. The former police officer, Lavont Flanders Jr., “was not stupid,” Det. Fletcher said. “He knew how to manipulate people, and he could be charming.”

The women were told they would be doing a test shoot in which they would have to drink the liquor they would be advertising. But the alcohol was laced with a date-rape drug that made them extremely compliant and often left them with no memories of what had happened to them. After the drugs took effect, the women were encouraged to sign model release forms.

Based on those consent forms, Carpinteri said, “The subjects thought they were going to get away with it.” Initially, investigators and prosecutors were “disturbed by the videos” because it appeared the victims were willing participants. But the raw footage told a different story. “It was clear the women were drugged and often barely conscious,” Carpinteri said.

“Because of their memory loss, a lot of the victims swore that nothing had happened,” she added, “until we showed them the videos.” Other women woke up in their cars the next morning bleeding, covered in vomit, and disoriented. Some notified police.

In 2007, Flanders and his partner, Emerson Callum, were arrested and charged by the state of Florida with multiple counts including sexual assault and distribution of a controlled substance. Released on bond pending trial, the pair eventually began victimizing women again.

That’s when Carpinteri and Fletcher began working on the case to painstakingly unravel the scam. They identified and interviewed victims from various locations and pieced together evidence from police reports, rape treatment center examinations, DNA results, and cell phone records to help build a case for federal prosecutors. The subjects were indicted federally in 2011 and later convicted by a jury of sexual battery, human trafficking, and other charges.

“This was a difficult case,” Fletcher said, “but it had a good outcome. It’s very satisfying to know that these two individuals will never do this to anyone again.”

Ohio Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Sex Trafficking of a Minor

CLEVELAND—Anthony C. Willoughby was sentenced today to 30 years in prison after a jury previously found him guilty of forcing a 16-year-old girl to engage in commercial sex acts, announced Steven M. Dettelbach, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, and Stephen D. Anthony, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Cleveland Office.

“The details of this case underscore why it is so important that we continue to work collaboratively and try to eradicate this modern-day slavery,” said U.S. Attorney Dettelbach. “This defendant preyed upon a weak, vulnerable victim and used her suffering as an opportunity for profit.”

Special Agent in Charge Anthony said, “This case is one of the first human trafficking cases to go to trial in Northern Ohio. Investigating and prosecuting those involved in the sexual exploitation of the most vulnerable of victims is a priority of the FBI. The 30-year sentence imposed today represents the seriousness of the offense and should serve as a deterrent to child predators.”

Willoughby, 39, also known as “P.T.” and “Party Time,” last lived in Toledo, Ohio, according to court records.

A jury on December 16, 2011, found Willoughby guilty on one count of sex trafficking of a minor. Willoughby recruited, enticed, harbored, and transported a juvenile, identified in the indictment as “S.W.,” knowing that by means of force, fraud, and coercion the juvenile was caused to engage in a commercial sex act between February 15, 2009, and March 19, 2009, according to court records.

The victim in this case was 16 at the time of the crime. She had run away from foster care in the winter of 2009 when Willoughby, then 36, agreed to take her in, according to court documents. Willoughby convinced the victim they were in a relationship but then began arranging for “dates” for her from his client list, according to court records.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys James V. Moroney and Ava Rotell Dustin, following an investigation by the Toledo Resident Agency of the Cleveland FBI and the Northwest Ohio Violent Crimes Against Children Task Force (NWOVCACTF).

The NWOVCACTF, directed by the FBI Toledo Resident Agency, includes special agents of the FBI and agents and officers from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation; Ohio Highway Patrol; Toledo Police Department; Lima, Ohio Police Department; Perrysburg Township, Ohio Police Department; Fulton County, Ohio Sheriff’s Office; and the Ottawa County, Ohio Sheriff’s Office.