Michael Erenhoff News Today

To. >> the federal case against maksimenko was a slam-dunk. and his lawyer knew it. rather than take his chances with a jury, he pled guilty to trafficking and was convicted of rape. the owners of the strip clubs were not charged with trafficking. michael rataj says despite his clients treatment of the girls, alex maksimenko is also a victim. >> i think in some ways, in sort of a perverse way, alex is a victim. hes a victim of his upbringing. hes a victim of his father. he didnt have a father wh...

Outside of their door, okay? there was -- maksimenko didnt sit inside the bar, you know, the entire 12 hours and -- with a gun in his pocket. >> michael rataj, maksimenkos attorney, argues the girls could have left any time. >> if you make any false moves or try to run out of here, im going to kill you, there was none of that. >> bridget carr, katyas attorney, scoffs at that notion. she says the girls knew that maksimenko had recently firebombed the car of a girls sister who tried to help her es...

Things that they werent privy to. >> the federal case against maksimenko was a slam-dunk. and his lawyer knew it. rather than take his chances with a jury, he pled guilty to trafficking and was convicted of rape. the owners of the strip clubs were not charged with trafficking. michael rataj says despite his clients treatment of the girls, alex maksimenko is also a victim. >> i think in some ways, in sort of a perverse way, alex is a victim. hes a victim of his upbringing. hes a victim of his fat...

For almost a year, 20-year-old katya, a university student from ukraine, was forced to work strip clubs in detroit by two men she thought were taking her to a waitressing job in america. alex maksimenko and michael erenhoff imprisoned her and 15 other women in separate apartments around detroit. >> we couldnt keep any money in our apartment because the guys has keys that have -- i believe they would listen to us in the apartment and we could not hide nothing. if we try to save at least a dollar,...

Versace. they have everything. they spent all our money for their well-being. >> there was no armed guard outside of their door, okay? there was -- maksimenko didnt sit inside the bar, you know, the entire 12 hours and -- with a gun in his pocket. >> michael rataj, maksimenkos attorney, argues the girls could have left any time. >> if you make any false moves or try to run out of here, im going to kill you, there was none of that. >> bridget carr, katyas attorney, scoffs at that notion. she says...

Trafficking. >> once i started looking into the issue and realizing that i wanted to be an advocate for victims of human trafficking, it seemed like i couldnt turn around without trafficking hitting me in the face. >> almost every girl who i knew was sexually abused, raped. it wasnt in front of me but it was in another room where i could hear, i could actually see after the girl was talking about that. >> alex and michael had keys to the apartment, and they treated both the apartment and the ind...

For almost a year, 20-year-old katya, a university student from ukraine, was forced to work strip clubs in detroit by two men she thought were taking her to a waitressing job in america. alex maksimenko and michael erenhoff imprisoned her and 15 other women in separate apartments around detroit. >> we couldnt keep any money in our apartment because the guys has keys that have -- i believe they would listen to us in the apartment and we could not hide nothing. if we try to save at least a dollar,...

>> there was no armed guard outside of their door, okay? there was -- maksimenko didnt sit inside the bar, you know, the entire 12 hours with a gun in his pocket. >> michael rataj, maksimenkos attorney, argues that the girls could have left anytime. >> if you make any false moves or try to run out of here, im going to kill you, there was none of that. >> bridget carr, katyas attorney, scoffs at that notion. she says the girls knew that maksimenko had recently firebombed the car of a girls sister...

Maksimenko was a slam-dunk, and his lawyer knew it. rather than take his chances with a jury, he pled guilty to trafficking and was convicted of rape. the owners of the strip clubs were not charged with trafficking. michael rataj says that despite his clients treatment of the girls alex maksimenko is also a victim. >> i think in some ways, in sort of a perverse way, alex is a victim. hes a victim of his upbringing. hes a victim of his father. he didnt have a father who took him, you know, and ta...

Trafficking. >> once i started looking into the issue and realizing that i wanted to be an advocate for victims of human trafficking, it seemed like i couldnt turn around without trafficking hitting me in the face. >> almost every girl who i knew was sexually abused, raped. it wasnt in front of me but it was in another room where i could hear, i could actually see after the girl was talking about that. >> alex and michael had keys to the apartment, and they treated both the apartment and the ind...