Maggy Krell: A fighter for justice
who doesn’t back down
Maggy Krell is a legal trailblazer who has taken on impactful cases throughout her career as both a criminal prosecutor and human rights lawyer.
She received a career achievement award from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in 2022 for her work fighting for victims and survivors of human trafficking.
She has also been awarded the Sherwood Prize from the Anti-Defamation League for her work combatting hate and bigotry.
Before returning to the Attorney General's Office, Maggy served as Chief Legal Counsel for Planned Parenthood, California where she fought to protect and expand access to reproductive healthcare.
“Planned Parenthood California brings on a ‘tenacious fighter’ to take on Trump” -Sacramento Bee
As a prosecutor, Maggy took on high impact cases against predatory lenders who took advantage of struggling families, sex traffickers that preyed on vulnerable teenagers, and attorneys that used their position of trust to exploit immigrant families.
Maggy used innovative strategies to prevent and combat violent and serious crime and headed the office’s first-ever human trafficking task force. In addition to filing multiple ground-breaking cases, Maggy has worked tirelessly to protect and empower survivors, bringing a survivor-centered approach to investigations, and broadly advocating for human trafficking prevention, training and education.
In her debut book, TAKING DOWN BACKPAGE, Maggy describes the pervasive and horrific nature of human trafficking, legal strategies for bringing traffickers to justice in the digital age, and the story of how she and her team battled against a corporate sex trafficking monolith.
"A memoir, a legal thriller, and a heartening perspective on law enforcement at its best and brightest... How a ferocious California prosecutor fought successfully against a significant component of the global sex-trafficking industry."-Kirkus Starred Review
“Brisk…[Krell] lucidly explains how criminal cases are built. The result is
an informative account of justice served.” —Publishers Weekly
“Krell offers a thoughtful account of the exhaustive, meticulous work, roller coaster ups and downs, and careful collaboration she put into the campaign to curb the sale of children for sex… Krell and her fellow crusaders are rightly proud of the strides they’ve made in cracking down on this scourge.” —The Washington Post
“Backpage reads like a movie, outlining how a dedicated California Department of Justice prosecutor and her small team took down the world’s most notorious online brothel and changed the national dialogue. It's a fast-paced, revelatory look at human trafficking in the internet-age, and a must read for anyone interested in the law in action.” — Dan Morain, Journalist, author of Kamala’s Way
"Maggy Krell is a kick-ass prosecutor and a true champion for children who have been victimized by sex trafficking. Her heroic efforts to bring Backpage to justice was a game changer. I’m thrilled she’s written this riveting narrative with chilling detail of how our nation’s children are victimized by online traffickers. Her work has saved children’s lives and is a lasting inspiration." -John Walsh, co-founder, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
"Maggy never lost sight of the human beings — many of them vulnerable women and children — who were falling prey to profits. In the fight against human trafficking, there is no one more dedicated to applying the law to seek justice for victims...Maggy’s commitment to victims and survivors continues — as she shares her tireless journey to inspire a new wave of freedom fighters...her account is a must read for anyone whose heart says the world can be changed for the better." -Carissa Phelps, JD/MBA, Esq. Founder of Runaway Girl FPC and best selling author "Runaway Girl: Escaping Life on the Streets"
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Taking Down Backpage
Insider details from the takedown of Backpage, the world’s largest sex trafficker, by the prosecutor who led the charge
For almost a decade, Backpage.com was the world’s largest sex trafficking operation. Seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day, in 800 cities throughout the world, Backpage ran thousands of listings advertising the sale of vulnerable young people for sex. Reaping a cut off every transaction, the owners of the website raked in millions of dollars. But many of the people in the advertisements were children, as young as 12, and forced into the commercial sex trade through fear, violence and coercion.
In Taking Down Backpage, veteran California prosecutor Maggy Krell tells the story of how she and her team battled against this sex trafficking monolith. Beginning with her early career as a young DA, she shares the evolution of the anti-human trafficking movement. Through a fascinating combination of memoir and legal insight, Krell reveals how she and her team started with the prosecution of street pimps and ultimately ended with the takedown of the largest purveyor of human trafficking in the world. She shares powerful stories of interviews with survivors, sting operations, court cases, and the personal struggles that were necessary to bring Backpage executives to justice. Finally, Krell examines the state of sex trafficking after Backpage and the crucial work that still remains.