[Dark, suspenseful music fades in]
HOST:
When most people hear the words human trafficking, they think of distant places—third-world countries, shadowy rings overseas. But according to anti-trafficking activist Jaco Booyens, that’s not reality.

“There’s not a single county or zip code in the United States where human trafficking cases have not been reported.”

And when you follow the money… you discover that some of America’s most prestigious financial institutions helped build the system that allows trafficking to flourish.

Today, we connect the dots: from child victims in Dallas… to Jeffrey Epstein’s banking empire… to the terrifying realization that trafficking isn’t a fringe crime. It’s a business model.

SEGMENT 1: How Big is the Problem?

HOST:
Booyens’ credibility is hard-earned. His sister was trafficked through the music industry at age 12. He’s spent 31 years in this fight.

Here’s what he told Kim Iverson:

  • Human trafficking is a $152 billion annual global industry, with the U.S. responsible for one-third of the demand ($52 billion).

  • “There’s not a single county or zip code in America untouched by trafficking.”

  • In Texas alone, 76,000 children are actively trafficked; 300 children are sold on the streets of Dallas every single night.

  • Only 1.7% of cases today involve kidnapping. Nearly half involve family members or caregivers (“familial trafficking”).

📎 Source: Kim Iverson Show interview with Jaco Booyens

SEGMENT 2: Why the Courts are Failing

HOST:
In 2015, Congress finally codified federal laws specifically differentiating minor trafficking from adult prostitution. Before then, minors were sometimes charged as prostitutes.

But laws on paper aren’t enough:

  • In the past two years, there have been just 148 federal prosecutions for sex trafficking, while tens of thousands of victims are trafficked.

  • At the state level, convictions on trafficking charges have dropped from 47% to 16%.

  • Judges are untrained. Prosecutors plead cases down to kidnapping or drug charges instead of trafficking.

Booyens’ solution? Specialized trafficking courts—just as the U.S. created specialty bankruptcy courts in 1978. Judges and prosecutors need training, survivor-informed protocols, and NGO partnerships to handle these complex cases.

📎 Source: Kim Iverson Show interview with Jaco Booyens

SEGMENT 3: How Predators Operate in 2025

HOST:
Gone are the days of pimps in fur coats. Trafficking now thrives in plain sight—hidden in technology.

  • The #1 grooming tactic today is emotional support. Predators gain trust by exploiting a child’s vulnerabilities.

  • Platforms: Discord (gaming chats), Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube DMs.

  • On average, a predator invests nine months grooming a child online before exploitation.

📎 Source: Kim Iverson Show interview with Jaco Booyens

SEGMENT 4: From the Streets to the Banks – The Epstein Model

HOST:
And if you think trafficking is just a street-level crime, think again.

Picture this: November 2009. JP Morgan executive Jess Staley sits in Epstein’s hot tub, writing him:

“So when all hell breaks loose and the world is crumbling, I will come here and be at peace. I owe you much and I deeply appreciate our friendship.”

Epstein wasn’t just trafficking women and children. He was operating a financial-sexual blackmail empire, enabled by the world’s biggest banks.

  • Epstein held 55 accounts at JP Morgan, moving hundreds of millions.

  • He generated $4 billion in business for the bank by referring clients like Sergey Brin, Larry Page, Leon Black, Ehud Barak, and Prince Andrew.

  • Court documents show millions in suspicious transfers to women and girls—including identified trafficking victims.

  • Staley emailed Epstein about “Snow White” and “Beauty and the Beast”—thinly veiled references to underage girls.

📎 Sources:

SEGMENT 5: The Banking System is the Trafficking System

HOST:
After Epstein’s death, JP Morgan suddenly reported $1 billion in suspicious transactions—after 16 years of silence.

The bank paid a $290 million settlement, less than two days’ profit. No executives went to prison.

As one Virgin Islands investigator put it:

“This wasn’t banking. This was partnership in a criminal conspiracy.”

📎 Source: U.S. Virgin Islands v. JP Morgan Chase filings

SEGMENT 6: Connecting the Dots

HOST:
Here’s the through-line:

  • At the street level, children are being trafficked in every community in America.

  • At the systemic level, major banks and elites shield and fund trafficking operations.

  • And in the courts, cases are pled down, prosecutions collapse, and victims rarely see justice.

This isn’t just a crime. It’s a system.

[Music swells, then fades]
HOST:
Until we confront both ends—the predators in our neighborhoods and the bankers in our skyscrapers—the cycle will continue.

The victims deserve better than our silence.

👉 Would you like me to now polish this into a PDF script format with inline sources like the previous ones (so you can drop it straight into production), or do you want me to expand first into a long-form narrative read (like a 25–30 min episode script) with pacing, rhetorical pauses, and callouts?

You said:
It's literally a true crime story with sources and citation
ChatGPT said:

Perfect — then let’s treat this as a true crime investigative episode script (like what you’d hear on American Scandal or True Crime Garage). I’ll structure it in that voice: narrative, documented facts, and inline sources + links so you have receipts for every hard claim.

🎙️ Podcast Script: “Trafficking, Power, and the Banks that Enabled It”

INTRO

[Somber, suspenseful music fades in]

HOST:
When we think of trafficking, we often picture faraway places. Hidden networks overseas. But anti-trafficking activist Jaco Booyens says the truth is far more disturbing:

“There’s not a single county or zip code in the United States where human trafficking cases have not been reported.” 【Kim Iverson Show interview】

And when you follow the money, you find that some of America’s most powerful financial institutions weren’t just complicit — they were partners.

Today: the scale of trafficking in the U.S., the failures of our courts, and how Jeffrey Epstein’s banking empire showed us that trafficking isn’t just a crime. It’s a business model.

ACT I: The Scale of the Crime

HOST:
Booyens’ mission began in 1994, when his 12-year-old sister was trafficked in the music industry. He’s spent 31 years fighting exploitation across 50 countries, working with more than 170 NGOs, advising the Trump White House, and testifying before Congress.

Here’s what he told Kim Iverson:

  • Human trafficking is a $152 billion global industry every year. The U.S. accounts for $52 billion of it — one-third of the world’s demand【Kim Iverson Show】.

  • In Texas, the Attorney General’s office estimates 76,000 children are actively trafficked, with 300 children sold on the streets of Dallas every single night【Kim Iverson Show】.

  • Only 1.7% of cases involve kidnapping. Nearly half involve family members or trusted adults — “familial trafficking.”

ACT II: The Courts Aren’t Working

HOST:
Until 2015, U.S. law treated minors like adults. Some children trafficked at 16 or 17 were even charged with prostitution.

After pressure from NGOs, Congress finally codified laws that treat minors as victims, not criminals【Kim Iverson Show】. But enforcement has collapsed:

  • In the past two years, there have been just 148 federal prosecutions — against tens of thousands of victims【Kim Iverson Show】.

  • State-level trafficking convictions have plummeted from 47% to 16%.

  • Judges lack training, prosecutors plead cases down to drug or kidnapping charges.

Booyens argues America needs specialized trafficking courts, just like bankruptcy courts were created in 1978 when judges admitted they didn’t understand financial law【Kim Iverson Show】.

ACT III: How Predators Operate in 2025

HOST:
This isn’t the stereotype of pimps in fur coats on street corners. Today, predators use technology:

  • Grooming happens on Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, Discord.

  • The #1 tactic is emotional support. Predators exploit a child’s vulnerabilities — loneliness, failure, neglect.

  • On average, a predator spends nine months grooming a child online before exploitation【Kim Iverson Show】.

The result? Victims hidden in plain sight. Children living at home, but under control through coercion, fraud, or emotional manipulation.

ACT IV: The Epstein Banking Empire

HOST:
But trafficking doesn’t stop with street predators. It scales upward — into politics, intelligence, and banking.

Jeffrey Epstein wasn’t just trafficking women and children. He was running a financial-sexual blackmail operation, with the help of America’s biggest bank: JP Morgan.

Court documents show:

  • Epstein held 55 accounts at JP Morgan, moving hundreds of millions【JP Morgan lawsuit docs】.

  • He generated $4 billion in business for the bank by referring elite clients: Sergey Brin, Larry Page, Leon Black, Ehud Barak, Prince Andrew【JP Morgan lawsuit docs】.

  • Internal emails between Epstein and banker Jess Staley referenced “Snow White” and “Beauty and the Beast” — thinly veiled code for underage girls【JP Morgan lawsuit docs】.

  • JP Morgan processed millions in suspicious transfers to women and girls, including identified trafficking victims, without filing suspicious activity reports【JP Morgan lawsuit docs】.

📎 Primary Sources:

ACT V: The Cover-Up

HOST:
After Epstein’s death in 2019, JP Morgan suddenly reported $1 billion in suspicious transactions — after 16 years of silence【US Virgin Islands v. JP Morgan filings】.

The penalty? A $290 million settlement — less than two days’ profit for a bank that earned $44 billion in 2022【US Virgin Islands v. JP Morgan filings】.

No executives went to prison. No banking licenses were revoked.

As one investigator put it:

“This wasn’t banking. This was partnership in a criminal conspiracy.”

ACT VI: Connecting the Dots

HOST:
Here’s the through-line:

  • At the street level, thousands of children in Dallas, Texas, are trafficked every night.

  • At the systemic level, the U.S. banking elite enabled Epstein’s empire for over a decade.

  • In the courts, prosecutions collapse, cases are pled down, and survivors rarely see justice.

This isn’t just a crime. It’s an infrastructure.

Until America confronts both ends of the chain — predators in our neighborhoods and financiers in our skyscrapers — the system will continue.

The victims deserve better than our silence.

[Music swells, fades]

🔗 Sources & Citations