I was an 18-year FBI veteran when the Bureau assigned me to the Cincinnati area. Little did I know that the most fulfilling and interesting work I would do as an FBI agent would be in the last phase of my career, working on human trafficking cases. Within months of my arrival in Cincinnati, I met Harold and Dancy D’Souza and hear their tragic and horrific story of being manipulated and abused by a trafficker. I met with the D’Souzas on many, many occasions in the ensuing years, assisting them as they created a new life after surviving human trafficking. We began a long association of working together and with other agencies involved in the anti-trafficking arena to try to bring their trafficker to justice and provide them the services they deserved through the Trafficking Victims Protection Act.
As I worked with the D’Souzas, I came to know their entire family. It was inspiring and a joy to get to know them and to facilitate many of their immigration needs while their case was investigated. Our association lasted almost five years and led to a lifetime friendship, even since my retirement from the FBI in 2015.
Working with the D’Souzas has been both personally and professionally rewarding. It is even more gratifying to see them involved in preventing others from becoming victims of human trafficing through Eyes Open International.