Investigators #3

Date1986

Can DescriptionsSee tape for content list: Sales Cult, pt. 1-4; Jaios CUH Follow up; Moirien - Sales CUlt; Sales Cult - Chronicle #1; Pilgrim pt. 1

Viewing NotesShots of wanted ads in the newspaper. A male reporter, in voiceover, sets up story about a trap. Interview with an African American girl, [Kamika Lewis?] saying she was told that she would be able to earn money for college. Shots of people on the street. Reporter describes teenagers being recruited to sell cleaners and magazines door-to-door, while also being forced into human trafficking and prostitution. Shots of teenagers outside a motel. Shots of cars. Interview with a boy who says he was not paid. Shots of people. Interview with a man who describes a situation as “like Oliver Twist” and “indentured servitude”. Shot of a want ad in a newspaper with the tagline ‘Too Young For Airlines?’ Shot of the ‘Logan Airport Hilton’ hotel. Interview with recruiter Steven Bander, who tries to get the cameraman to leave. Reporter questions a girl who was recently hired. Bander tries to get the reporter to leave and orders the girl not to talk to him. She is later fired for talking to reporters. Shots of teenagers in vans. Interview with a girl who describes being abused by her handler. Interview with a girl with her face obscured, who says “70 percent of the girls were in prostitution”. Shot of newspaper ad with tagline ‘Fun in the Sun’. Reporter describes plane crash of human trafficking victims. Shots of bodies covered in sheets. Shots of plane wreckage. [End of Story, 00:00:00-00:05:54] Shot of camera moving down a motel hallway. Police and other people enter a motel room. Shots of people outdoors. Teenagers selling household clearers door to door. A male reporter talking to the camera. Interview with a woman [Erleen? Williams] who describes how the teenagers are not paid or adequately fed. Shot of a newspaper want ad with the tagline ‘Too Young for Airlines??? (18 & Over)’. Teenagers outside a van. Interview with a boy, with his face obscured. He describes staying in a hotel with 7 or 8 people to a room. The reporter describes abuse and prostitution. Interview with a girl with her face obscured, who describes being beaten. Interview with [Erleen Williams], founder of the organization Parent Watch. Reporter and Williams describe these cases as “commercial cults”, “white slavery”, “prostitution”, “involuntary servitude” and “slavery”. Shot of Kingston motel hallway. The leader of the group confronts the cameraman. Parents and police escort an underage girl from the motel, and convince an 18 year old girl to return home. Interview with a woman, who describes how it is difficult for teenagers who have been recruited to contact their families. Interview with one of the victims, with her face obscured. Shot of teens outside a motel. Reporter says most of these groups can be traced to Joe Edge of Arlington, Texas. Edge denies involvement with abuse and prostitution. [End of Story, 00:05:54-00:11:27] A police officer with a german shepard dog walking through the woods. A male reporter, in voice over, reports that the Boston Police were looking for a missing 14 year old girl, Kamika Lewis. Interview with Kamika Lewis’s mother, holding a baby. Shot of the Tudor Motor Inn in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. Reporter says Kamika was found at the hotel with a group of “traveling teenagers” who sell magazines door to door. [Human traffickers] Interview with Kamika Lewis. Reporter confront a recruiter. Reporter confronts the group’s boss, Harold Kreth. Shot of newspaper want ad with headline: “A Travel Job 100 Needed Hiring Now!!!”. Interview with Harold Kreth, claims the job is an opportunity. Shot of an ad. Shots of teens outside a motel. Interview with a man who says it’s a horrible situation and the teenagers are not paid enough for living expenses. Reporter states that Harold Kreth was charged with sexual assault, but the charges were dropped as the alleged victim was too afraid to testify. Reporter knocks on motel room door. Harold Kreth opens the door, but immediately slams it shut. Interview with Kamika Lewis. [End of Story, 00:11:27-00:16:38] Shot of people on the street in Copley Square, Boston. A male reporter, in voiceover, says the young man, Karl Perkins, is trying to sell magazines as a traveling salesman. Shot of another woman, Tara. Reporter says the two claim to be treated well in an abusive industry. Shot of teenagers at a van parked outside a motel. Shot of a young man, Ron [Audette?]. Reporter says he was “lured away” by newspaper ads. Shot of newspaper want ad with headline: ‘Too Young for Airlines??? (18 & Over)’. Reporter says the teens are told they will sell magazines or cleaners, but end up getting beaten. Interview with Ron, describing beatings. Stills of a girl with bruises. Teenagers loading a van. Shots of earning sheets. Reporter says the company responsible is owned by Texas millionaire Joe Edge. Shot of Joe Edge. Reporter talking to the camera, saying the police are doing nothing. Shots of vans. Reporter says the groups are hard to catch because they move so frequently. Interview with a man, who says the primary concern of police is getting the groups out of their community. Reporter says teenagers are afraid to testify. Interview with a girl with her face obscured. She describes beatings and blackmail. Interview with a police officer, who says the crew leaders discourage contact with family and friends. Shot of the Minnesota State Capitol building. Reporter says Minnesota has prosecuted the groups for fraudulent recruiting. Interview with a man, who describes the teenagers’ harsh living conditions. Shots of teenagers on the street. Shot of a recruiter, Steven Bander, and a girl he is trying to recruit, in a hotel hallway. Reporter at the hotel room of group leader Harold Kreth. [Later accused of sexual assault] Crew chief confronts cameraman. Interview with girl with her face obscured who tries to warn people away, saying there are a lot of beatings, prostitution and blackmail. [End of story, 00:16:28-00:22:16] Shot of a teenage boy, Ron [Audette?] walking down the road. A male reporter, (Kirby Perkins) in voiceover, says Ron has pressed charges for being beaten by [human traffickers]. Shot of the 57 Hotel. Reporter says hotel is troubled that Harold Kreth [Human trafficker group leader, accused of sexual assault] used the hotel for recruiting. Shots of teenage girls in a parking lot. Reporter states that one of the teenagers has been identified, and had been missing for over a year. Group of men outside a van. [End of story, 00:22:16-00:23:41] ‘The Investigators’ logo. Cars on the street at night. Shot of the Tudor Motel Inn in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. A male reporter, (Kirby Perkins) in voiceover, says the police are investigating door-to-door sales. [Human trafficking]. Police are investigating [? Maurier?] and her husband John, who lead a “sales” group. Police talking to the [Mauriers]. Shots of the teenagers. Police interviewing teenagers. A girl, Marqita Mathes, raises her arms and says “free at last”, as she walks out of the hotel. Interview with Mathes, who says the couple did not hurt her, but took her money. She also says that if sales do not go well, the teenagers do not eat. Interview with Alfred Jackson, who describes the living conditions, while holding a pet rabbit. Interview with [John Maurier?]. The reporter (Kirby Perkins) in the studio. He says [Maurier?] is under investigation for not paying minimum wage and “indentured servitude”. [End of story, 00:23:41-00:27:13] ‘The Investigators’ logo. A police officer with a german shepard dog walking through the woods. A male reporter, (Kirby Perkins) in voice over, reports that the Boston Police were looking for a missing 14 year old girl, Kamika Lewis. Reporter says Kamika was found at the hotel with a group of “traveling teenagers” who sell magazines door to door. [Human traffickers] Interview with Kamika Lewis. Shot of newspaper want ad with headline: ‘Too Young for Airlines??? (18 & Over)”. Shot of newspaper want ad with headline: “Sales Action Travel Guys & Gals”. Shot of newspaper want ad with headline: “Fun in the Sun”. Interview with a man who says it’s a way to make money. Shots of teenagers in a motel parking lot. Reporter says teenagers travel from state to state, with terrible living conditions, selling door to door. Interview with a boy, Ron [Audette?] who says he did not make any money. Reporter describes the work as ‘slavery’. Interview with a man who compares the situation to ‘Oliver Twist’. Interview with a woman, [Erleen (?) Williams], who says the teenagers are lied to. Reporter confronts recruiter in motel parking lot. Reporter says teenagers are told not to talk to anyone by Harold Kreth [human trafficker, accused of sexual assault]. Reporter at Kreth’s hotel room. Shot of newspaper want ad with headline: ‘A Travel Job 100 Needed Hiring Now!!!’. Interview with Kreth. Shot of ad. Shot of 57 Hotel, where Kreth was recruiting. Shot of Shrewsbury Motel. Interview with a man, who says it’s a horrible situation. Shot of the Logan Airport Hotel, where reporter confronts recruiter Steven Bander. Reporter talks to one of the girls who has been recruited, who thought she was getting a job as a flight attendant. Bander tries to get the reporter to leave. The girl is fired and driven home. Shot of teenagers in van. Interview with Kamika Lewis. [End of Story, 00:27:13-00:35:07] Shot of a boy, 4 year old Lucas [Buckby?], playing on the front steps of a house. Inside, a male reporter interviews his mother, Diane [Buckby?]. The reporter, in voiceover, talks about concerns of the people of Plymouth, Massachusetts, about the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant. Interview with Diane, who says the people who run the plant are inept. Discussion of US Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s 1985 report card on the Pilgrim Plant. Slide says plant got the “Lowest Rating” in “Plant Operations, Radiation Control, Emergency Planning”. Reporter says Pilgrim is one of the five worst plants in the country. Interview with a man who expresses safety concerns. The reporter, talking to the camera, says Pilgrim has had problems since it opened. There was a leak in 1974. Reporter lists other safety violation events. Interview with Boston Edison official, who says the public was not at risk. Boston Edison had named William Harrington as senior vice president. Still of William Harrington. NRC official expresses concerns about safety. Boston Edison officials say Harrington more interested in “producing electricity than plant safety”. Harrington was let go. Interview with Lee Oxan, who ran the plant, and admits the plant was not maintained properly. Aerial shot of the plant. Interview with a man, who says Boston Edison has let people down. [End of story, 00:35:07-00:00:41:18]