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Prosecutor: Report of Cape sex slave ignored

By MIKE HOYEM, MHOYEM@NEWS-PRESS.COM
DAVID PLAZAS, DPLAZAS@NEWSPRESS.COM
Published by news-press.com on May 27, 2005

The plight of a Guatemalan teenager who says she was sold by her parents and ended up a sex slave in Cape Coral was reported to law enforcement 18 months ago, but nothing was done, a federal prosecutor said Thursday.

"It was reported in October 2003," Chief Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas Molloy said. "It was reported to law enforcement, and it was reported to victim advocacy groups and it was not pursued. Because we had a different mindset, we didn't do anything about it."

Molloy made the statement during a seminar on human trafficking at the Lee County Stockade complex. He refused to identify the law enforcement agency that heard the girl's story or the groups that learned of her situation.

"That will ruin the point I was trying to make," Molloy said. "The point is it was reported, it's being dealt with and attitudes are changing."

Officials at the Lee County Sheriff's Office and Fort Myers Police Department denied learning of the teen in 2003.

"It's safe to say we had nothing to do with it," sheriff's office spokesman Angelo Vaughn said.

"It was not our agency," Fort Myers police spokeswoman Shelley Flynn said.

Cape Coral police spokesman Angelo Bitsis said he didn't know what agency Molloy meant.

"We found no record of any report regarding that type of incident," he said.

The state Department of Children and Families also declined to say whether it learned of the teen in 2003.

"We cannot deny or confirm that was the case," said department spokeswoman Deana Watson, citing a state law that prohibits the agency from discussing abuse and sexual assaults involving children.

The 14-year-old's story was made public a week ago when her alleged captors had their first appearance in federal court.

Charged with holding her in involuntary servitude are Fernando Pascual, 21, and his sister, Matilde Pascual Andres, 26, both of 52 W. North Shore Ave. in North Fort Myers.

Charged with helping harbor the teen and her captors is Pascual Miguel Sebastian, 31, of the same address.

Pascual's brother, Mario Pascual, 20, is being detained to testify against the others.

The teenager, who is in a foster home, says her parents sold her to Fernando Pascual for $260 when she was 12.

She says Pascual repeatedly raped and beat her â€â€