Backpage.com was once the world’s most prolific purveyor of human trafficking advertisements… that is until the FBI raided their operation in Dallas and took it all down. DeliverFund had a part in the operation. It’s something we’re very proud of. Backpage executives were found to be complicit in selling minors for sex.
Last October, DeliverFund was presented with the irresistibly redemptive opportunity to move its headquarters into the office space formerly occupied by Backpage.
Our operations have been scattered across the United States since 2015, based out of Albuquerque. We’ve known for a while that in order to streamline our processes and expand our efforts, it would be vital to consolidate our operations so our analysts can collaborate in person, in real time, and so law enforcement has a central training and advising facility where they can call for help, 24/7/365.
“Taking over the Backpage headquarters is an epic opportunity to shine a light from our enemy’s former base,” Jeremy Mahugh, Sr. VP, says. “But even more than that, this strategic relocation of our headquarters will create a centralized hub for DeliverFund to better serve our law enforcement and community partners. We couldn’t be more thrilled. And clearly, there’s sweet justice in it.”
Dallas is roughly equal distance from California and Florida and just minutes away from Love Field Airport. The central location is ideal for law enforcement officers traveling across the state or from other areas of the country to the new home of DeliverFund’s International Human Trafficking Analysis Center (iHTAC) for training.
Another advantage: It’s also five minutes away from a training facility operated by the Trident Response Group (TRG), with which DeliverFund forged a partnership in February. Founded by Clint Bruce, a former Navy SEAL who played for a short time in the NFL, the risk-management group was established in 2005. Like DeliverFund, TRG is staffed primarily by former members of elite Special Operations Forces units.
The tactical and combatives portion of the training for law enforcement officers who enroll in DeliverFund’s Counter Human Trafficking Intelligence Operators Course will now take place at TRG’s facility. Formerly, it was conducted in Albuquerque.
Taking over the Backpage space is a huge undertaking, in both cost, manpower, and time. But we knew this was just too good to pass up. This move allows DeliverFund to increase its scope and capacity to curb sex trafficking by 80% within the next 5 – 7 years.
To establish the Dallas headquarters and expand operations, DeliverFund launched the $1.2 million Operation Next Page campaign last October. About $600,000 had been raised by the end of February, allowing us to take occupancy in early January and make necessary renovations.
