Ont. couple accused of human trafficking plead not guilty as complainant testifies

Marred by several delays, the trial of alleged human traffickers Lauriston and Amber Maloney finally got underway on Monday in a Bradford courtroom, with a woman who worked and lived with the couple testifying.

The couple pleaded not guilty 15 months after their arrest last summer at their home in Essa Township.

Amber Maloney was charged with trafficking, materially benefiting from the trafficking of a person, and administering a noxious substance.

Her husband, Lauriston, was charged with two counts of assault and forcible confinement along with the same trafficking counts as his wife.

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At the time of her arrest, Amber Maloney owned and operated a camp for children on the autism spectrum called Beating the Odds on the same two-acre property in Utopia where the couple lived with their children.

The Crown called its only complainant in the case, who described to the court meeting Amber on a dating app in 2016 before becoming part of a love triangle with the couple, living at their home and sleeping in their bed.

“In my mind I was in a relationship with both of them,” she told the court.

She testified about becoming Amber’s assistant and working all hours for very little money in return. The complainant said she did everything from creating therapy programs and client assessments to payroll, hiring, and marketing.

The woman said initially she was paid $50 to $100 “here or there” while the Maloneys covered room and board. She said Lauriston told her to go on Ontario Works assistance to cover her living expenses and he’d take care of the rest.

“He made me feel like he would always be there for me and the things I needed would be covered,” she testified.

The woman told the courtroom about having a sexual arrangement with the couple, adding that it wasn’t until the Maloneys wanted to bring in another woman that things became strained.

The complainant told the court she couldn’t afford car payments or insurance and often received small e-transfer amounts from Amber’s personal account, saying she was only paid by Amber in cash a handful of times.

She testified to feeling disposable and said she was so blindly in love with Amber that she didn’t care about being taken advantage of.

Last summer, provincial police issued a rare public safety advisory notifying the community of Lauriston Maloney’s presence at the unlicensed children’s camp, confirming he was a convicted sex offender hours before the couple was criminally charged.

Court documents revealed Lauriston Maloney was first convicted about 20 years ago for pimping out an underage girl as part of an escort service he ran in the Mississauga area. Nottawasaga OPP previously said he was also convicted about 10 years ago for trafficking young women.

Police have confirmed the children of the Beating the Odds camp were not victims in this investigation.

Both Amber and Lauriston remain out on bail. The trial resumes Wednesday.

The allegations against both the accused have not been tested in court.