By . Zoe Szathmary . A woman who was lured into seven years as a prostitute now works with at-risk youth  has spoken out to warn that sex trafficking can happen to anyone. Jasmine Marino-Fiandaca, speaking to SeaCoastOnline, said 'It's very real, and it's happening in your back yard, to girls from all backgrounds, whether middle class or lower class. 'I'm a white girl from America, and it happened to me.' Marino-Fiandaca said she was just 18 years old when she was 'groomed' into sex work by a supposed 'boyfriend' and lured away from her family. 'He groomed me,' she told the website. 'He bought me fancy clothes and shoes, spent money on me. He drove a Mercedes. I felt very special. He said, "You could make a ton of money if you just worked in these massage parlors."' Scroll down for video . Survivor: Jasmine Marino-Fiandaca, pictured, endured seven years in sex trafficking before she was able to leave . Soon enough, Marino-Fiandaca found herself working at a Connecticut massage parlor. 'It was disgusting and exciting at the same time,' she said, describing her first shift ever to  SeaCoastOnline. 'Here I was 18 and I just made $80 in 20 minutes.' Marino-Fiandaca was soon trapped, she said, when her 'boyfriend' forced her to hand over her earnings after every shift. When she tried to leave, she endured physical and verbal abuse. 'He would be very violent,' Marino-Fiandaca told SeaCoastOnline. 'Either that, or he would sit me down for hours and scream at me, humiliate me. He'd tell me I was no good, that I was ugly, that no one would ever love me. And he had a gun on him at all times.' The man later ordered her to work at the more upscale Danish Health Club in Kittery, Connecticut, she said. 'The couches were cushy; there was a big-screen TV,' she told the website. 'The customers were a little cleaner, a better class of man. Most were business men. And the prices were higher. Each time was $250.' Redeemed: Marino-Fiandaca shared this cryptic photograph on her Facebook page . Marino-Fiandaca told SeaCoastOnline she stopped working at the 'health club' before it was raided, but soon discovered she was pregnant. Her 'boyfriend' reportedly ordered her to get an abortion. Marino-Fiandaca told the site that over six months she was able to hide enough money and make an escape. Though her pimp later found her, she did not return to sex work. She did, however, develop drug problems with OxyContin and heroin. 'I lost my apartment,' she said. 'I slept on park benches, in people's cars. My family wouldn't talk to me. My parents said, 'it's over.' I loved my grandparents dearly and I couldn't see them.' Marino-Fiandaca told SeaCoastOnline she stopped taking drugs in 2007, and has been working since then with at-risk teenagers to prevent more stories like hers. 'Shame is what keeps you quiet,' she told the site. 'Shame keeps you secretive, because it's too intense. You're only as sick as your secrets. As long as you keep quiet, you can never be free. I want to tell young girls that they're treasured — because no one else is telling them.'
Jasmine Marino-Fiandaca spent seven years as a prostitute in New England .
Says she was just 18 years old when she was 'groomed' into sex work by a supposed 'boyfriend'
Described her first experience as 'disgusting and exciting at the same time'
Now spends her time working with at-risk youth to prevent sex trafficking and exploitation .
By . Zoe Szathmary . A woman who was lured into seven years as a prostitute now works with at-risk youth  has spoken out to warn that sex trafficking can happen to anyone. Jasmine Marino-Fiandaca, speaking to SeaCoastOnline, said 'It's very real, and it's happening in your back yard, to girls from all backgrounds, whether middle class or lower class. 'I'm a white girl from America, and it happened to me.' Marino-Fiandaca said she was just 18 years old when she was 'groomed' into sex work by a supposed 'boyfriend' and lured away from her family. 'He groomed me,' she told the website. 'He bought me fancy clothes and shoes, spent money on me. He drove a Mercedes. I felt very special. He said, "You could make a ton of money if you just worked in these massage parlors."' Scroll down for video . Survivor: Jasmine Marino-Fiandaca, pictured, endured seven years in sex trafficking before she was able to leave . Soon enough, Marino-Fiandaca found herself working at a Connecticut massage parlor. 'It was disgusting and exciting at the same time,' she said, describing her first shift ever to SeaCoastOnline. 'Here I was 18 and I just made $80 in 20 minutes.' Marino-Fiandaca was soon trapped, she said, when her 'boyfriend' forced her to hand over her earnings after every shift. When she tried to leave, she endured physical and verbal abuse. 'He would be very violent,' Marino-Fiandaca told SeaCoastOnline. 'Either that, or he would sit me down for hours and scream at me, humiliate me. He'd tell me I was no good, that I was ugly, that no one would ever love me. And he had a gun on him at all times.' The man later ordered her to work at the more upscale Danish Health Club in Kittery, Connecticut, she said. 'The couches were cushy; there was a big-screen TV,' she told the website. 'The customers were a little cleaner, a better class of man. Most were business men. And the prices were higher. Each time was $250.' Redeemed: Marino-Fiandaca shared this cryptic photograph on her Facebook page . Marino-Fiandaca told SeaCoastOnline she stopped working at the 'health club' before it was raided, but soon discovered she was pregnant. Her 'boyfriend' reportedly ordered her to get an abortion. Marino-Fiandaca told the site that over six months she was able to hide enough money and make an escape. Though her pimp later found her, she did not return to sex work. She did, however, develop drug problems with OxyContin and heroin. 'I lost my apartment,' she said. 'I slept on park benches, in people's cars. My family wouldn't talk to me. My parents said, 'it's over.' I loved my grandparents dearly and I couldn't see them.' Marino-Fiandaca told SeaCoastOnline she stopped taking drugs in 2007, and has been working since then with at-risk teenagers to prevent more stories like hers. 'Shame is what keeps you quiet,' she told the site. 'Shame keeps you secretive, because it's too intense. You're only as sick as your secrets. As long as you keep quiet, you can never be free. I want to tell young girls that they're treasured — because no one else is telling them.'
seven years as a prostitute now works with Marino-Fiandaca said she was just 18 years old when she was 'groomed' into sex work by a supposed 'boyfriend' and lured away from her disgusting and exciting at the same time,' she then with at-risk teenagers to prevent more