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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 client's 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. he's a victim of his upbringing. he's a victim of his father. he didn't have a father who took him, you know, and taught him how to throw a baseball or was involved in his life. his fa...

Outside of their door, okay? there was -- maksimenko didn't sit inside the bar, you know, the entire 12 hours and -- with a gun in his pocket. >> michael rataj, maksimenko's attorney, argues the girls could have left any time. >> if you make any false moves or try to run out of here, i'm going to kill you, there was none of that. >> bridget carr, katya's attorney, scoffs at that notion. she says the girls knew that maksimenko had recently firebombed the car of a girl's sister who tried to help her escape. >> alex and michael told her if you try to leave, we'll kill your family back in ukraine....

Things that they weren't 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 client's 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. he's a victim of his upbringing. he's a victim of his father. he didn't have a father who took him, you know, and taught him how to throw a baseball or w...

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 couldn't 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, it will be something bad happen to us. >> those 12-hour shifts yielded up to $1,000 a day, but the...

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 didn't sit inside the bar, you know, the entire 12 hours and -- with a gun in his pocket. >> michael rataj, maksimenko's attorney, argues the girls could have left any time. >> if you make any false moves or try to run out of here, i'm going to kill you, there was none of that. >> bridget carr, katya's attorney, scoffs at that notion. she says the girls knew that maksimenko had recently firebombed the car of a girl's sister who tried to ...