Publishers Weekly
10/18/2021
Krell, a former deputy attorney general in the California Department of Justice, debuts with a brisk recap of her efforts to prosecute the owners of Backpage.com for sex trafficking. Inspired by her successful prosecution of a motel owner for knowingly renting his rooms for commercial sex acts, Krell formed a statewide human trafficking unit in the attorney general’s office and busted a network of brothels where women lured from Asia with promises of good jobs were forced to prostitute themselves to pay off their travel costs. In 2013, Krell, at the urging of victim’s rights advocates, turned her attention to Backpage, where girls as young as 12 were advertised in the “Escort” and “Erotic Services” sections. Krell explains how the Communications Decency Act complicated efforts to prosecute Backpage, where teenagers were “the most lucrative product” and staff were trained “to assist traffickers in posting ads of victims without alerting law enforcement.” Though Krell’s initial case against Backpage was dismissed by a California judge in 2016, her investigation helped lead to the website’s shuttering by the FBI in 2018 and company CEO Carl Ferrer’s guilty plea to charges of money laundering and conspiracy. Details of Krell’s personal life and career trajectory feel superfluous, but she lucidly explains how criminal cases are built. The result is an informative account of justice served. (Jan.)
Dan Morain
"Backpage reads like a movie, outlining how a dedicated California Department of Justice prosecutor and her small team took down the world’s most notorious online brothel and changed the national dialogue. It's a fast-paced, revelatory look at human trafficking in the internet-age, and a must read for anyone interested in the law in action."
Lisa R. Pruitt
"This book is a must read for every early- to mid-career lawyer who dreams of making the world more just. Maggy Krell is a role model for all of them, whatever their legal passion. Krell’s commitment to the survivors of human trafficking—children and youth—is unparalleled. Her work to hold the principals of Backpage accountable, against considerable odds, is an inspiration for us all."
Ashlie Bryant
"This book is both a fascinating legal thriller about the power of justice and a chilling reminder of how pervasive and horrific human trafficking is. Krell weaves the story together in gripping fashion and leaves the reader with hope and inspiration."
John Walsh
"Maggy Krell is a kick-ass prosecutor and a true champion for children who have been victimized by sex trafficking. Her heroic efforts to bring Backpage to justice was a game changer. I’m thrilled she’s written this riveting narrative with chilling detail of how our nation’s children are victimized by online traffickers. Her work has saved children’s lives and is a lasting inspiration."
Leah Albright-Byrd (Activist
"The story of Maggy’s valiant quest to bring Backpage to justice is an insiders view into the underground world of human trafficking. Maggy has been a major champion in the fight against human trafficking and I’ve had the honor of witnessing her tenacity and heart for justice. I still remember the moment of indescribable victory when she called me to tell me that justice had been served. As an educator, victim advocate, and sex-trafficking survivor myself, I know firsthand the great harm Backpage caused by normalizing sexual abuse and commodifying vulnerable youth. That is why Maggy is one of my heroes and her story must be read. Walk with her as she recounts her compelling journey and you’ll be deeply moved by the courageous efforts of a modern-day abolitionist. I firmly believe that this book is a breathtaking testament of what happens within our legal system that makes our world safer!"
Holly Austin Gibbs
"I'm so grateful Maggy decided to share her story, which describes how she was inspired to advocate for victims of sex trafficking and hold businesses accountable for their role in enabling commercial sexual exploitation of children. Maggy's work on the Backpage case changed the course of anti-trafficking efforts across the United States. I really appreciate her compelling insider account of how law enforcement and victims and survivors of sex trafficking ultimately prevailed."
Carissa Phelps
"Maggy never lost sight of the human beings — many of them vulnerable women and children — who were falling prey to profits. In the fight against human trafficking, there is no one more dedicated to applying the law to seek justice for victims. Her work to take down Backpage was unprecedented and necessary to ensure safety for children who were repeated targets for extremely harmful forms of sexual exploitation through the listing service. Maggy’s commitment to victims and survivors continues — as she shares her tireless journey to inspire a new wave of freedom fighters to continue to adapt and respond to the savvy and bullish corporate beneficiaries of trafficking that will utilize any means possible to wreck lives — her account is a must read for anyone whose heart says the world can be changed for the better."
Yiota Souras
"Maggy’s story will remind lawyers why they went to law school and inspire anyone who dreams of becoming a lawyer and fighting for children who have been trafficked and abused. This book is a fascinating legal thriller, but it’s also the story of how one person can change the world with perseverance, creativity and legal grit. Maggy’s story will stay with you long after you turn the last page."
The Washington Post
"Krell offers a thoughtful account of the exhaustive, meticulous work, roller coaster ups and downs, and careful collaboration she put into the campaign to curb the sale of children for sex ... The bulk of Krell’s book examines how her team painstakingly gathered evidence and wrote warrants to prove that Backpage was not a neutral platform occasionally used by nefarious traffickers, but was actively soliciting and helping to create these illegal ads."
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2021-10-02
How a ferocious California prosecutor fought successfully against a significant component of the global sex-trafficking industry.
Krell was 25 years old when she worked on her first case involving young sex workers and began to see that prostitution was anything but a victimless crime. "The images of those girls from that motel…were etched into my brain,” she writes, “and would drive me throughout my career….By the time I became a supervising deputy attorney general at the California Department of Justice, the seedy motel, I realized, had metamorphosized into a website: Backpage.com." For 10 years in 800 cities, Backpage ran ads selling young people for sex, taking a cut that amounted to millions of dollars. Yet when Krell fought through local and federal resistance to orchestrate the arrests of Backpage’s leaders, she saw an award from the FBI on one of their desks, praising his "outstanding cooperation" in helping them "find victims." As the author knew, Backpage merely helped pimps thwart law enforcement by rewriting the ads that had gotten them in trouble. When she finally got the case to court in 2016, it was dismissed without a trial due to the Communications Decency Act, perceived as “a complete shield from liability” for any business conducted on the internet. Shaken but undeterred, Krell built a team of attorneys and law enforcement officers who finally put an end to the outrages of this online brothel. Of her counterpart in Texas, lead attorney Kirsta Melton, Krell writes, "We were both busy moms scrambling to get our kids to sports practices and games while also prosecuting some of the most depraved criminals in our respective states….Above all else, we were both hell-bent on helping kids and doing everything we could to disrupt sex trafficking.” Both women deserve the highest praise for their enterprising work on behalf of some of society’s most vulnerable members.
A memoir, a legal thriller, and a heartening perspective on law enforcement at its best and brightest.
