HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — The founder of a local nonprofit is pushing to protect Florida's most vulnerable victims of sex trafficking — children.
Often, minors must testify in court, just feet away from their abuser, adding to the trauma they've already endured.
WATCH: 'It was absolutely gut-wrenching': Sex trafficking survivor supports nonprofit's push for minors to testify remotely
The Tampa Bay 28 I-Team met with one of those minors, now an adult, who is now sharing her story, and followed Natasha Nascimento, founder and CEO of Redefining Refuge's journey to Tallahassee this week, where she is seeking support for legislation that would make remote testimony the standard, not the exception.
Redefining Refuge, based in Tampa, serves sexually exploited and trafficked children.
"More than half the cases we've had, consistently — familial trafficking or primary caregivers that are trafficking children,” Nascimento said.
The I-Team met Nascimento in an empty Hillsborough County courtroom, where some of those children have testified.
"I will tell you that the amount of trauma that those kids endured being in here, I won't forget it. I know they certainly won't forget it," she said. "Imagine having to sit in the room with your abuser and relive just the worst moments of your life while also having to defend yourself."
I-Team | Human Trafficking Coverage
Katie Riley doesn't have to imagine it. She lived it. She testified against her trafficker for crimes committed when she was 17 years old.
"I met him on Facebook," Riley said. "Sitting across from somebody who did something so vile to you at such a young age... it's so uncomfortable. And it's like — they are just staring you down into your soul. And then, you know, you just want to run," Riley said.
Riley spent years as a slave, she said, sold for sex after seeking safety as a child.
“I was 12 when it happened. First started for me," Riley told the I-Team.
Riley said she met her first trafficker when she was walking home from school.
"I told him about my life and everything that was going on, and he was like, 'Well, I have a way that you can make money and do that.'"
Looking back on her childhood, Riley said she was a kid looking to survive.
“I had holes in my tennis shoes and no food in the house, so I was doing what I needed to do to give myself that stability," she said.
When Riley met I-Team Reporter Kylie McGivern, she said she recognized her from an April 2022 report on an Orlando man sentenced to more than 24 years in prison for human trafficking.
Florida man sentenced to 24+ years for sex trafficking
In 2021, the I-Team was granted exclusive access to an undercover sex trafficking operation, leading to the arrest and conviction of Henry Lee White.
The arrest happened at a hotel in Tampa. The rescued victim was Riley, she revealed. She said she was the one inside the hotel the night he was arrested.
It was White's brother, Darrius White, whom she testified against for her abuse as a teen.
"That was super scary for me," Riley said. "I had this person who had drilled into me, like, you don't talk to the police, you don't say anything crazy like that. And here I was, in front of him, telling my side of the story."
The first trial ended in a mistrial after a juror lied about their family history regarding sexual assault.
So Riley had to testify again.
"First time, he had all his family there. I had none of my family," Riley said.
The second time, she had support from Selah Freedom, an anti-human trafficking nonprofit based in Sarasota.
"I was able to bring a whole side for myself that time, of women who were much — had so much strength that they could let me borrow it," Riley said.
As part of her victim impact statement, Riley wrote, "I wasn't treated as a human. In fact, I was treated as the opposite. I remember one time Darrius told me I was in 'white slavery' and this was true. I was a slave."
When Riley learned about the proposed legislation to allow minors to testify remotely, she told the I-Team, "I would have loved to have had that opportunity for myself."
Nascimento brought that message to Tallahassee this week, meeting with lawmakers to push for legislation.
"It's been tough. We're going to just keep going until we get this law changed," Nascimento said.
She addressed concerns she's received in response to her push.
"We are not infringing on anyone's constitutional right to face their accuser, we're just changing the mechanism of how that requirement is satisfied," Nascimento said.
The man Riley testified against, Darrius White, is now serving a life sentence for human trafficking.
"They need to be held accountable, so we need their testimony, but it — like it's almost re-victimizing them," Riley said.
If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking, the Florida hotline to report abuse is 1-855-FLA-SAFE.
Share Your Story with Kylie
Kylie McGivern works tirelessly to get results for the people of Tampa Bay. Her reporting has exposed flaws in Florida’s corrections system and unemployment process. Reach out to Kylie and our I-Team if you need help holding state leaders accountable.
.
Woman found guilty of killing sister in Carrollwood
A DNA expert testified Wednesday that Patton's DNA was found inside rubber gloves that were buried with her sister in the backyard.