PFAU COCHRAN VERTETIS AMALA
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PFAU COCHRAN VERTETIS AMALA

Justice Department Rules $215 Million Settlement for Backpage.com Survivors of Child Sex Trafficking

Dec 13, 2024 | Firm News, Sexual Abuse

The Justice Department recently announced a $215 million forfeiture of Backpage.com’s former assets, which will be used to establish a restitution trust for survivors of sex trafficking. Backpage.com, once infamously known as “an online brothel,” profited from illegal ads facilitating the sexual exploitation of children and adults until it was shut down in 2018. Details about the restitution trust and its implementation are expected soon.

In November 2023, Backpage.com’s owners and executives were found guilty of multiple counts of conspiracy and money laundering for their role in creating and profiting from the website. Backpage.com earned hundreds of millions of dollars by promoting sex work and enabling child sex trafficking and, at its peak, was the largest online marketplace for purchasing sex, with children trafficked and sold for sex daily.

PCVA attorneys Jason Amala and Vincent Nappo have spent over a decade seeking justice for survivors trafficked through Backpage.com, commended the Justice Department’s efforts and emphasized the importance of this milestone.

“We commend the efforts of the Justice Department for achieving this settlement, which marks an important step toward justice for trafficking survivors and their families,” said Vincent Nappo. “Our clients were trafficked as children on the Backpage.com website, sold for sex dozens of times a day, some for weeks and months. Because of the horrific trauma, they continue to struggle desperately in all aspects of life.”

 

“We have spent over a decade in civil courts attempting to seek justice and accountability for our clients. We are thrilled the Backpage.com owners and operators were criminally convicted, but it is critical that we now turn our focus to helping survivors access and utilize the restitution trust to rebuild their lives.” said Jason Amala.

Amala and Nappo represent numerous survivors who were sex trafficked and exploited as children on the Backpage.com website. Over a decade ago they started filing civil lawsuits against Backpage.com in Washington, California, New York, Illinois, and Texas in an effort to shed light on these crimes and hold the website owners accountable. The evidence obtained through these lawsuits led to the criminal action and clearly showed the owners and operators knew the website was enabling child sex trafficking and failed to protect innocent children from exploitation.

In 2017, the website shut down its “escort” section hours after a scathing United States Senate report highlighting Backpage.com’s role in enabling child exploitation. According to the Senate report, the website generated $135 million in revenue in 2014, and the vast majority of that revenue was from sex ads.

The fight for justice against Backpage.com has been long and hard-fought. PCVA’s work was featured in the 2017 documentary I Am Jane Doe, which chronicled the horrific experiences of minors trafficked through the website.

Federal criminal charges against Backpage.com were brought in 2018 when the United States government seized control of the website, and its assets valued at over $300 million. Backpage.com’s co-founder was sentenced to five years in prison and fined $3 million for a single money laundering count in August 2024. He still faces around 30 prostitution facilitation and money laundering charges.

The civil cases against the Backpage.com owners have been stayed pending the criminal cases, and will now hopefully begin to proceed forward, starting with pursuing restitution awards from the Justice Department’s restitution trust.

The settlement is not just a landmark achievement—it’s a crucial opportunity for systemic change. This historic settlement would not have been possible without the courage of survivors who stepped forward to share their stories and demand accountability. Survivors and advocates hope it sends a clear message about the necessity of vigilance, accountability, and support for those impacted by these heinous crimes. PCVA remains dedicated to standing by survivors as they navigate the road to healing and justice.

While this settlement is a significant victory against Backpage.com, it is only one battle in the larger fight against human trafficking. Advocates urge continued efforts to combat trafficking everywhere and to support survivors as they rebuild their lives.

About PCVA Law

Pfau Cochran Vertetis Amala PLLC (PCVA) is one of the leading law firms in the United States fighting for the rights of sexually exploited children. If you or someone you know has been or is believed to be the victim of sexual abuse while in the care of an institution, we encourage you to

speak to a PCVA lawyer for free by completing our online form or calling us at (253) 777-0799 and (206) 462-4334.

Since 2004, PCVA has represented thousands of abuse survivors with cases against major institutions like the Catholic Church, the Church of Latter-Day Saints, the Boy Scouts of America, schools, foster care organizations, and more. The firm also represented multiple women who were sold for sex as children on Backpage.com and whose claims resulted in the seizure and closure of that website by federal authorities.

Our History Litigating for Survivors of Backpage.com

Our Case Results

PCVA has a longstanding history of holding abusive organizations accountable for violating their positions of authority and exploiting individuals. Below, you’ll find links to some of our recent case results.