tuscl

Stripper trafficking suspect back in U.S.

samsung1
Ohio
DETROIT, Jan. 28 (UPI) -- A Ukrainian nightclub owner accused of forcing women to work as strippers is being brought back to Detroit to face charges, authorities said.

Veniamin Gonikman, 55, was indicted in Detroit in 2005 but fled the country, the Detroit Free Press reported.

He was arrested Wednesday in Ukraine, deported and arrested on his arrival in New York, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency said Thursday.

Gonikman and associates used Beauty Search Inc. as a cover for a trafficking racket that smuggled Eastern European women into Detroit, his indictment charges.

The women were forced to work 12 hours a day, and Gonikman and his associates took all their earnings, more than $1 million, court records state.

One victim, testifying before the House Judiciary Committee in 2007, said: "I could not refuse to go to work or I would be beaten. I was often yelled at for not making enough money or had a gun put to my face. Every week, I handed over around $3,000 to $4,000. I was their slave."

Gonikman's associates, including his son, Aleksandr Maksimenko, were convicted and are serving prison sentences ranging from seven to 14 years.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2011/01/2…

5 comments

  • Dudester
    •
    14 years ago
    Due to his age, they'll put him in one of those prisons that's more like a college campus as opposed to a shithole of desperation. Pity. At the very least, they should give him twenty years (straight time), then deport him (no social security in Ukraine).
  • steve229
    •
    14 years ago
    Ukrainian women are known for their beauty.
  • tigerfan3
    •
    14 years ago
    I'm originally from Detroit, and all I can say is what goes on in so many of the detroit area nightclubs is a human rights tragedy. I would never be able to go into a club in that area and fully enjoy myself. The human rights violations and all the prostitution would kill the fun for me. It's so sad to see what has happened to the Motor City.
  • SuperDude
    •
    14 years ago
  • MisterGuy
    •
    14 years ago
    "At the very least, they should give him twenty years (straight time), then deport him (no social security in Ukraine)."

    LOL...he's an American citizen moron, and yes, the Ukraine does have a Social Security-type system anyways. Once again Dudster, just give us all a break & stop talking about things that you obviously have NO CLUE about!
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