MINNEAPOLIS – The defense attorney in a local human trafficking case says the case may be a fabrication. The suspects are accused of turning girls as young as 13 into prostitutes The skepticism isn’t just from defense attorneys but also from the Somali community. Several of the 17 indicted in Minnesota appeared in federal court Tuesday, where they waved extradition back to Minnesota. Some family members even testified on their behalf.

A federal indictment unsealed Monday morning in Nashville details the sex trafficking operations of 29 Somali men and women tied to the Somali Outlaws, Somali Mafia and Lady Outlaws gangs, which are all connected and based in Minneapolis. Of the 29 indicted, 12 were arrested Monday morning in the Twin Cities, eight in Nashville and six were already in jail in various locations. Three remain at-large and wanted.

The family of 19-year-old Abdullahi Afyare says he’s a busy college student. his attorney says he’s no gang member, and no pimp. This isn’t the first time the issue of age has come up in a case involving the Somali community, which doesn’t traditionally celebrate birthdays.

Birthdates are automatically assigned when they enter the county, and that’s usually a guess. Meanwhile, those who work with runaway teenagers are saying today there’s a much broader take away lesson here.

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