Attorney General Moody Lights Florida’s Historic Capitol Blue for Human Trafficking Awareness

Attorney General Ashley Moody is lighting Florida’s Historic Capitol blue to raise awareness of human trafficking. The lighting of the capitol also reinforces the Blue Campaign—an initiative created to educate law enforcement, the public and other industry partners on how to spot and report cases of human trafficking. January 11 is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, and January is Human Trafficking Prevention Month. Attorney General Moody hopes that by illuminating the capitol blue it will encourage more people to join the fight to end human trafficking.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “One way we stop human trafficking is by shining a light on these atrocities. By illuminating the state capitol blue in recognition of Human Trafficking Prevention Month, and working with our government and community partners to increase awareness, we can encourage more Floridians to join our fight to end this horrific crime.” Read More

Florida’s Truckers Roll On In Fight Against Human Trafficking

In recognition of National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, Florida Highway Patrol, Attorney General Ashley Moody, Florida Trucking Association, and Truckers Against Trafficking are putting a spotlight on human trafficking – a crime that often hides in plain sight – and the critical role Florida’s trucking and law enforcement professionals play in combating it.

Florida’s Highway Heroes initiative is an ongoing outreach campaign that was launched in October 2020 to train Florida’s half a million licensed commercial drivers on how to identify and report suspected human trafficking. Florida’s commercial drivers are uniquely positioned to make a difference and close loopholes to traffickers who look to use transportation systems for their personal gain. Since the launch of the initiative, FLHSMV has trained nearly 4,600 licensed commercial drivers and nearly 400 FHP members through TAT on how to identify and report suspected trafficking.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “We will not sit idly by as traffickers travel Florida preying on vulnerable people to fuel their illicit practice. We are putting the pedal to the metal to train as many drivers as possible to help steer us toward our goal of ensuring Florida is a zero-tolerance state for human trafficking. There is no one road map that will get us there. Every truck driver in Florida needs to learn the signs, take the wheel, and help us speed toward this vital goal. By doing this, our Highway Heroes will not only make our roads safer, but they could also save the life of a trafficking victim in desperate need of help.” Read More

Attorney General Moody Urges Department of State to Fight International Fentanyl Production and Importation

Attorney General Ashley Moody urged the U.S. Department of State to take a tougher approach to stemming the influx of deadly fentanyl into Florida and the nation as a whole. There is evidence that China is shipping precursor chemicals for fentanyl into Mexico for drug cartels to produce the lethal drug and smuggle it overland into the U.S. In a letter sent to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Attorney General Moody, with 15 other attorneys general, urged Blinken to take a tougher stance on stopping the influx of fentanyl from China and Mexico.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “Our federal government cannot sit idly by as China ships chemicals to produce highly lethal fentanyl to Mexico to funnel it into our country. I’m calling on Secretary Blinken and the U.S. Department of State to crack down on both countries, who have formed an international triangle of death where thousands of pounds of deadly opioid drugs are flooding into our streets. This must end, now.” Read More

Attorney General Moody Asks FCC to Help Block Foreign Robocall Scams

Attorney General Ashley Moody urged the Federal Communications Commission to put measures in place that will help stem the tide of foreign-based illegal robocalls attempting to scam Americans. Attorney General Moody, as part of a bipartisan group of 51 attorneys general, sent a letter to insist the FCC require gateway providers—companies that allow foreign calls into the United States—to take steps to reduce how easily robocalls are able to enter the U.S. telephone network. These necessary steps include implementing STIR/SHAKEN, a caller ID authentication technology that helps prevent spoofed calls. In 2020, Americans lost more than $520 million through robocall scams.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “Scammers often use robocalls in an effort to quickly engage millions of targets across the country. Robocalls using spoofed numbers are difficult to track and even harder to stop—especially when they originate from overseas. That is why I am calling on the FCC to work with telecommunications companies to put up barriers to reduce the number of foreign robocalls bombarding Americans’ telephones.” Read More

Attorney General Moody Secures $1.85 Billion Following Multistate Investigation into Student Loan Servicer Navient

Attorney General Ashley Moody secured $1.85 billion from one of the nation’s largest student loan servicers for misrepresenting to borrowers the best repayment options available. Attorney General Moody is joined by a coalition of 39 state attorneys general in a multistate action against Navient, formerly d/b/a Sallie Mae. In the proposed consent judgment, Navient will provide relief totaling $1.85 billion to resolve allegations of widespread unfair and deceptive student loan servicing practices and abuses in originating predatory student loans. Florida will receive more than $199 million in relief from the multistate action.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “Despite promising to help find the best loan repayment option, this company steered distressed borrowers to costly long-term forbearances—pushing them further into debt and financial hardship. Due to our multistate investigation and aggressive negotiations, this company’s predatory lending practices are now at an end, and Floridians harmed will receive millions of dollars in restitution.” Read More