UNITED STATES — On June 18, it was revealed that Taras Kosmirak, 35, a Ukrainian refugee legally residing in the U.S., pleaded guilty to human trafficking charges in Federal Court. Kosmirak was arrested on March 14 in Gulf Shores, Alabama, for transporting a female Russian national to Brooklyn, New York, where she was reportedly forced to work as a prostitute for a brothel owner referred to as the “Madam.”
Kosmirak has been detained in Baldwin County since his arrest. Court recommendations suggest his sentencing will include time served.
The Russian woman had reportedly lived in Gulf Shores since 2018 and may have been the informant who tipped off authorities about the trafficking ring operating in New York.
Investigators allowed Kosmirak to make a monitored call to the brothel owner, during which he said, “She’s with me,” and mentioned, “Beautiful Girls $350.”
Kosmirak’s attorney, Jeff Dean, stated that his client’s English is limited and that he fled the war in Ukraine. Dean described Kosmirak as “a dupe in a much higher endeavor” orchestrated by an organization that tasked him with transporting the woman.
Two other Ukrainian nationals, Denys Vlad, 21, and Vasyl Opechenyk, who faces drug possession charges, are also implicated. Both men face conspiracy charges related to human trafficking in Baldwin County.
Among officials involved is Brooklyn Congressman Dan Goldman, noted for his leadership in the Trump-Ukraine Impeachment Inquiry.
