Human Trafficking w/ Ashley Morgan & Joe DeAngelo

In this episode, we are joined by Ashley Morgan and Joe DeAngelo who discuss human tracking in Denver, what these crimes look like, the personalities of the offenders, and how to cope working in this line of work.

Joe DeAngelo has been a peace officer for over 30 years and currently serves in the capacity of a senior criminal investigator for the Denver County District Attorney’s Office (Denver DA) in the Human Trafficking Unit (HTU). Over 20 years of his tenure has been in the capacity of a criminal investigator which included assignments with the Colorado Attorney General, chief investigator with the 14th Judicial District Attorney’s Office (Colorado), detached service with the FBI and county prosecutor/grand jury when employed as a detective with the Fort Wayne, Indiana Police Department. Additionally, DeAngelo has two master’s degrees: Psychology - Criminal Investigations, and Human Development from Regis University and Fielding Graduate University, respectively and a graduate certificate in Child Sex Offender Behavioral Characteristics from Regis University. Further, DeAngelo was an adjunct professor at Regis University in the graduate psychology program where he instructed numerous graduate level college courses generally related to criminal psychology and criminal investigations. DeAngelo currently teaches a course on assessing veracity through the spoken and written word where he has instructed at national conferences for local, state and federal law enforcement and US intelligence agencies. DeAngelo has been a competitive strength/endurance athlete his entire life. Most importantly, he is the father of three extraordinary children, two who are professional actors.

Ashley Morgan is a Chief Deputy District Attorney at the Denver District Attorney’s Office and the Director of the Denver Human Trafficking Unit. In 2024, Ashley developed, drafted, and helped pass Colorado Senate Bill 024-35, Strengthening Enforcement of Human Trafficking, which increased the statute of limitations for human trafficking charges from three to twenty years and enhanced the penalties for human trafficking convictions. In addition to training law enforcement and community organizations, she also served as an adjunct professor at the Sturm College of Law at the University of Denver, teaching human trafficking and organized crime. Before joining the Denver DA’s Office, Ashley was a litigation associate at Davis Graham & Stubbs, LLP, and Reilly Pozner, LLP in Denver, as well as an associate at Cravath, Swaine & Moore, LLP in New York City. Ashley earned her J.D cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School. Prior to law school, she taught middle school English in the Bronx and traveled throughout Southeast Asia, India, and South Africa to teach, volunteer, and backpack. Ms. Morgan received both a B.A. and M.A. from Stanford University, where she was a member of the Stanford Swim Team and was an Olympic Trials finalist. She is also an Ultimate Frisbee National and World Champion. She also has two children in elementary school, a puppy, and a wonderful husband!