FBI special agent Nicole Sinegar briefly discussed her modest beginnings as a child in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward. College was not on the agenda for most New Orleans teens and Nicole assumed she would become a mechanic or a cosmetologist when she took a law studies class, which served as the impetus to a new and different career. She was the first in her family to graduate from college and through hard work she joined the FBI. She began her FBI career in a Washington, D.C. Field Office. As the opportunity arose, she chose the Southeast Texas assignment over another one in Las Vegas because it is here in SETX that she can focus on her chief interest, which is dealing with, and eradicating, human trafficking in all its forms throughout her six-county jurisdiction (Hardin, Jefferson, Jasper, Liberty, Newton Orange counties). She emphasized the need for civilian input and assistance in the war against human trafficking and public corruption.

Nicole described two categories of human trafficking: 1) sexual (minors and adults) in which victims are compelled by force, fraud, or coercion to engage in commercial sex acts; and 2) forced labor, in which children under 18, as well as adults, are forced through threats or fraud to perform labor or service. She emphasized that victims may be trafficked in their own home as when minors are forced to engaged in commercial sex acts or babies are sold for money. Nicole noted that human smuggling is not the same as human trafficking.

Nicole explained the industries that are most vulnerable to trafficking such as hotels/motels, truck stops, travel stops. To illustrate these issues, Nicole shared a captivating video reenactment of a young woman named Erika who was finessed into prostitution by a pimp because he told her what she wanted to hear; namely, that he loved her. Nicole did mention, but did not focus on at this talk, that 36% of sex trafficked victims were men and boys. She also indicated that many of the victims do not want to cooperate with law enforcement because what they have now, as horrible as it appears, is much better than where they came from. These victims do not want to go home. Eventually, the victims work for their pimps by bringing in more victims. The second video effectively illustrated this as Erika tricks two young women into prostitution.

Nicole explained the difference between a gorilla pimp and a finesse pimp and noted that there are no stereotypical images of a pimp because some are women. Unfortunately, there remains a certain glamorization of the pimp/ho culture which is contrary to the reality in which many of the victims end up in poor health and must self-medicate to continue going. Nicole emphasized the red flags or indicators of trafficked victims, such as was the case of a fifteen year old who had had five abortions in a short period of time. She reminded the audience of resources that can help such as the Harvest House and Catholic Charities. Nicole fielded several questions from the audience and in response to one of them noted that she had plans to take the messages about the dangers of trafficking into the schools to help others avoid victimhood.