By: Jen Russon
Human trafficking is something Michael Evans and Haley Robson are intimately familiar with; one knows what it’s like to be sexually exploited. The other is doing everything in his power to stop these heinous crimes.
“I hate to see people suffer. When I’m driving down 441, and there’s a homeless person on the side of the road, I think how lucky I am to be secure. I want to help people who don’t feel safe,” said Evans, whose Miami-based company is in one of the top five cities for human trafficking.
This fall, Evans has invited one of Jeffrey Epstein’s first victims to go on a speaking tour with him that kicks off in South Florida.
Robson is most recognized for her appearance on the Netflix series “Filthy Rich.”
Evans is most recognized for 16 years of distinguished work in kidnap recovery.
CEO at USPA Nationwide Security, and Executive Director at Kingsman Philanthropic Corp, Evans uses personal funds and solicits donations that go toward helping women and children escape violence and exploitation both at home and in the workplace.
Active on six continents, the nonprofit utilizes a network of the world’s top security experts, helping as many abuse victims as funding, time, and logistics allow.
Evans said help does not always come fast enough. He recounted a recent case when a child was brutally killed, only to have his family hunted down by a crew in an attempt to kill the late child’s mother and other witnesses before charges could be pressed.
“The Kingsman have seen it all,” he laments.
Crimes like these sit next to human trafficking cases, not unlike the high-profile case of Jeffrey Epstein; this is where Robson’s first-hand knowledge comes in.
She educates the public on avoiding getting sucked into the same situation she did when, in 2004, she met the billionaire predator and got involved with Epstein in exchange for money.
Robson said she rebuffed Epstein’s sexual advances but worked for him later on as a recruiter in West Palm Beach. Following Epstein’s suicide in 2020, Robson told People Magazine she thinks being raped before they met made her more susceptible to his abuse.
“You’re 16. The repercussions, at that age, you’re not thinking about that. You’re not mature enough to understand,” she said.
Insights like these are part of the speaking tour Robson will do with Evans this October.
“Haley’s just incredible in helping us solve missing person cases. She can put herself in the victim’s shoes and say, ‘I know where this girl is, and be right,” said Evans.
He added the human trafficking epidemic saw nearly 12,000 victims in the United States last year.
According to the Human Trafficking Institue, Florida, 12 new criminal human trafficking cases were filed in federal courts in 2020. Seven defendants were convicted. 95 percent of active defendants were charged with sex trafficking, and 5 percent were charged with forced labor.
Federal courts ordered four out of six convicted defendants to pay restitution to their victim(s)—a decline from 2019 when eight convicted defendants were ordered to pay restitution.
Evans said the lion’s share of rescues he’s been involved in are related to domestic violence, a problem he personally lived through growing up with an abusive father.
“For every missing person case, we get ten more where the woman needs help escaping an abusive partner. When I started Kingsman in 2005, my reason was being able to empathize with victims of domestic violence because of what my family went through,” he said.
His saga compelled Evans to create a special division of his security company, one that would be a unique provider of free protection services for victims of human trafficking and kidnapping.
Evans said he’s stretched pretty thin right now, conducting more than one rescue operation on his own. His Kingsman are currently assisting in two cases in Orlando, including the Miya Marcano case where Kingsman posted a $5,000 reward.
“I am helping a woman and her young sons relocate states away, which means I need to put a team together, find plane tickets, rent a car, and make sure we’re armed in case her violent husband shows up and tries to kill her before he is prosecuted for egregious crimes he committed against his own children,” said Evans.
He added recovery efforts in finding missing persons alive usually fall between $10,000 to $25,000. The tips tend to roll in, not just when rewards are posted, but when the right kind of talent emerges to handle the job — in the form of detectives, former military, and well-trained outreach volunteers combing the streets at night, looking for victims.
These and other rescue efforts, akin to witness protection programs, cost money, so the Kingsman are finishing out 2021 with a cross-country tour to educate and seek donations.
The free event takes place on Tuesday, October 5, at 7 p.m. in the Peninsula Room at Club MiraLago, located at 1060 Coral Ridge Drive. RSVPs are strongly encouraged but not mandatory. There will be an open bar, and every attendee receives an information packet on how to help curb not just human trafficking but human suffering too.
Send your news to Parkland’s #1 news source, Parkland Talk.