An accused sex trafficker allegedly raped a 16-year-old girl to resolve a $13,500 debt that he claimed she and her family owed him, according to Louisiana police.
Arrest and Charges
Juven Pineda, 34, faces charges of second-degree rape and human trafficking after his capture in North Carolina and recent transfer to the custody of investigators in the New Orleans suburb of Kenner, who had obtained a warrant to arrest him.
A bail commissioner on 10 June ordered Pineda held without bond pending the outcome of the case against him, which investigators say starkly illustrates the grim realities of human trafficking.
Police Statement
Police in Kenner said in a media statement that Pineda's arrest was "an important reminder that human trafficking often occurs behind closed doors, and victims are frequently afraid to come forward".
Kenner police chief Keith Conley added in a statement: "If you see something, say something. Human trafficking thrives in silence. A single phone call could help save a victim from exploitation and abuse."
Investigation Details
In a sworn statement prepared separately, investigators said they were provided an email from a local paralegal reporting that her law firm was representing a client who was born in November 2002 and had been sexually trafficked from Honduras to Kenner through Mexico.
The police statement noted that investigators soon identified Pineda as the suspect in the case – and that the client now lived in North Carolina. The statement said Pineda had helped smuggle her father into the US – before doing the same with her, ostensibly for free, when she was 16 in May 2019, according to what she told investigators during a series of interviews beginning in October 2023.
Victim's Account
Police determined that the girl's father weeks later brought her to a home in New Orleans. After a few months, police said, she moved into a home Pineda had near New Orleans airport in Kenner, where he informed her she was now responsible for $13,500 in debts that she and her father had with him.
Pineda also allegedly threatened to physically harm her family in Honduras if she did not settle the debt – which she could do by becoming his "woman". She purportedly recounted to police that becoming Pineda's woman meant cleaning his house, living with him as "a couple" and being raped by him repeatedly.
Police said Pineda brought her to North Carolina at the beginning of 2020 and raped her there, too. She told investigators that she was not free to leave him and felt like a "prisoner".
Legal Proceedings
Investigators obtained a warrant to arrest Pineda in March 2024. North Carolina's highway patrol detained him on that warrant on 24 April, Kenner police said in a media statement. He had been extradited to the custody of Kenner police by 5 June and booked with three counts of second-degree rape as well as one of human trafficking, according to jail records.
Second-degree rape in Louisiana can carry between five and 40 years in prison. Human trafficking can carry 20 years, though that can be enhanced under certain circumstances.
Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organizations. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html
