Update April 21st: More sordid details from the on-going trial, here.
Case is complicated by lack of accurate birth dates for the former refugees.
From AP at the Minneapolis Star Tribune:
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Forensic experts testified about DNA evidence during the second week of a federal trial involving several defendants accused of using a young Somali female for forced prostitution.
The trial being held in Nashville includes nine out of a total of 30 people who have been accused in an indictment of involvement in a child sexual trafficking ring that prosecutors say was run by Somali gangs and that included sexual acts in Minnesota, Ohio and Tennessee.
The key witness testified last week that she was used as a prostitute by members of Somali gangs starting in the 6th grade. But the trial has been complicated by the fact that both the alleged victim and many of the defendants are from Somali families who fled to the United States as war refugees and who don’t have accurate birth records. The other defendants are expected to face trial at a later date.
Go here for all of our previous coverage of the case.