Attorney speaks out in Collin County human trafficking operation – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

Princeton police say a welfare check at a home turned up suspected human trafficking victims. However, an attorney representing the man arrested in the case says the evidence doesn't support the claim.

Police discovered 15 adult women who said they were forced to work for companies owned by Santhosh Katkoori and his wife. Now Katkoori and three other people are facing charges of human trafficking.

Attorney Jeremy Rosenthal represents Katkoori.

“It's just not human trafficking,” Rosenthal said. “Certainly there are some facts that the police looked into, but I think they just made a lot of arrests before they investigated.”

According to the Princeton police investigation, the women slept on bedrolls and there was no furniture in the home other than folding tables.

“It may be unconventional,” Rosenthal said. “It may be something that is not common to have those living conditions. But again, there is no evidence of fraud. There is no evidence of violence and there is no evidence of coercion. That is what the law requires for human trafficking.”

The arrest affidavit states that the women told police they were brought there for an internship, where they would apply and learn JavaScript. Once they were hired, their money went straight to Katkoori, who kept 20% and gave the rest to them.

“We know they were working,” said Detective Aarmando Loya of the Princeton Police Department. “So it wasn't just staying in the house. They were working for these people.”

However, Rosenthal said this does not amount to a second-degree crime: human trafficking.

“Most, if not all, women have a college degree or are close to it or are in the process of doing so,” Rosenthal said.

“They were given training. They were offered a job and in return they got 20%. I don't practice labor law. But this sounds like a very different story than human trafficking,” Rosenthal said.

Katkoori is currently out on bail while investigations continue.