Man lured girls into sex trade , court told
Reza Moazami allegedly targeted young, at- risk girls
Reza Moazami promised the 11 girls glamorous lives in luxury condos in downtown Vancouver, nice clothes, visits to nail bars and tanning salons and lots of parties. Instead, the girls — aged 14 to 19 — endured long hours working as prostitutes and were subjected to intimidation, physical and sexual assaults and threats.
As part of his method of controlling them, Moazami gave them almost unlimited and free access to “date rape drugs” including ketamine and GHB as well as cocaine, mushrooms, Ativan, OxyContin, Percocet, marijuana and alcohol.
Moazami gave dogs to several girls — two were Chihuahuas, another was a white, fluffy dog; two were named Gucci, another Cadillac. When Moazami wanted to punish the girls, he’d threaten to hurt or even kill their pets.
At least, that’s what Crown prosecutor Damienne Darby alleged Wednesday in her opening statement of Moazami’s trial.
The 29- year- old is charged with 36 Criminal Code offences including two counts of trafficking underage girls, sexual interference, sexual exploitation, sexual assault, living off the avails of prostitution and coercion.
The case challenges popular misconceptions about human trafficking. Although Moazami did take some of the 11 teens to Calgary, Edmonton, Victoria, Toronto and Montreal, the Criminal Code offence does not require moving victims from one location to another.
“Trafficking is not smuggling. It’s controlling the movements of people,” Darby explained. “But they don’t need to be physically moved across a border. They only need to be afraid for their safety.”
The other misconception is that the victims come from somewhere else. But Canada is a source country as well as a destination for women and girls trafficked into the sex trade, according to the section on Canada in the 2013 U. S. State Department’s Trafficking in Persons report. Girls in the child welfare system are particularly vulnerable, according to the report.
Darby noted that Moazami deliberately targeted young, atrisk girls who were doing poorly in school, had addictions or were either homeless or couch surfing rather than living at home with their parents.
The names of all of the alleged victims are protected under a publication ban not only because of the allegations of sexual assault, but because some are still minors even though it’s been almost two years since Moazami’s arrest.
He was arrested on Oct. 2, 2011 after police found him hiding behind a hot water tank in the basement of a bawdy house on Vancouver’s west side. One of the girls found at the house that day was so young that she was taken into government care under the provisions of B. C.’ s child protection act.
Moazami had been arrested once before in August 2010 when police were called to another house to investigate illegal activities with underage girls. That time, he was found hiding in the pantry.
One of the alleged victims is expected to tell Justice Catherine Ross how she was addicted to crack cocaine and dealing the drug for her father by age 12. By 16, she was couch- surfing and had a probation officer. A friend introduced her to Moazami in February 2011. He set her up in a Robson Street condo — one of about a dozen in downtown Vancouver that he had rented either under his own name or under someone else’s.
He took more than 300 images of her, posted them online along with an ad for her services. Later, she worked out of a Richmond hotel and then, a Richmond condo. An ex- boyfriend who was concerned for her safety alerted her probation officer who took her to a safe house.
Before meeting Moazami, seven of the 11 girls had never been prostitutes. At least one is expected to testify that Moazami drugged them and raped them before setting them up with customers.
One of the girls considered herself in a consensual sexual relationship with Moazami. She was 16 and worked for another pimp when they met. Moazami was 25. In addition to working for him as a prostitute, she helped write and post ads on Craigslist.
She is expected to testify that on several occasions he physically assaulted her. Once, he hung her by her feet off the balcony of his mother’s West Georgia Street condo. Another time, he allegedly picked up a knife, grabbed her from behind and held the knife to her throat. She suffered cuts to her throat and arm.
On a final trip to Calgary with Moazami in September 2010, Darby said the girl will tell the court how she contemplated killing Moazami with rat poison.
Moazami has been in custody since August 2012. That’s when he breached his bail conditions by trying to contact one of his alleged victims. In court Wednesday, Moazami was dressed in a tight- fitting beige sweater and dark pants, wearing darkrimmed glasses and his dark hair in a short buzz cut.
Apparently, prison food doesn’t agree with Moazami. On Tuesday, his lawyers requested that when he comes to court he get two Big Macs instead of the usual one. Before court adjourned Wednesday, his lawyer reminded the judge.
Justice Ross paused for a heartbeat and then dryly responded that she hoped Moazami wouldn’t gain too much weight during the trial. It’s scheduled to last up to 15 weeks.