Accused Sex Trafficker From Madison Facing Federal Charges

MADISON (WKOW) -- Alleged sex trafficking led to federal charges for a man from Madison.

Authorities say 36-year-old Erin Graham, Jr. took two women from Wisconsin to Virginia and forced them into prostitution in June of 2016.

KBJR6 reports

Nxivm's Leader Charged With Sex-Trafficking

NEW YORK (AP) - The leader of a secretive group in upstate New York turned female followers into brainwashed "slaves" who were branded with his initials and coerced into having sex, authorities alleged on Monday in a criminal complaint charging him with sex-trafficking.

Keith Raniere, co-founder of the group called Nxivm, was arrested in Mexico and returned to Texas Monday, authorities said. He was to appear in court on Tuesday in Fort Worth on the charges filed by federal prosecutors in Brooklyn.

According to the complaint, Raniere-known within the group as "Vanguard"-oversaw a barbaric system in which women were told the best way to advance was to become a "slave" overseen by "masters." They also were expected to have sex with him and do menial chores for masters, and to keep the arrangement a secret or be publicly humiliated, the complaint says.

Elle reports

22-Year-Old Man Convicted of Sex Trafficking

March 26, 2018 06:04 PM

A 22-year-old man has been convicted of two counts of sex trafficking, the Hennepin County Attorney's Office announced Monday.

According to a release, Lee Edward Smith Jr. was found guilty by a jury Friday and sentenced to terms of nine and 20 years, to be served concurrently.

The criminal complaint stated a Minneapolis police investigator came across a woman being advertised for sex in August of last year on Backpage.com. After calling that number, the investigator was allegedly directed to go to the 3600 block of Nicollet Avenue.

The investigator then reportedly set up in a place where he could survey the building and contacted the phone number. He said he saw a woman come out of the building, and when she didn't see anyone, she texted the investigator and admitted she was the woman he was seeking.

Read more from KSTP ABC5 Eyewitness News

Man Pleads Guilty To Child Sex Trafficking, Drug Charges

March 21, 2018 8:45 AM in News

Source: WBRZ

By: Raquel Derganz Baker

 

NEW ORLEANS- A man pleaded guilty to child sex trafficking charges minutes before his scheduled trial.

Lance Everson, 39, was sentenced to 15 years in state prison, according to a release from the Orleans Parish District Attorney's Office.

Everson was charged with two counts of child sex trafficking, one count of second-degree kidnapping, one count of aggravated battery, one count of contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile, and one count of simple battery. There were also several drug charges.
Everson will now be required to register as a sex offender after he is released.

Read more from WBRZ2 ABC
 

Man Convicted Of Sex Trafficking Shot And Killed By Federal Agent In Scottsdale, Police Say

Scottsdale police are investigating after a federal agent shot and killed a suspect who was recently convicted of sex trafficking Friday morning in the parking lot of a shopping center near the Loop 101 and Shea Boulevard.

“The shooting involved federal agents and a male subject,” Sgt. Ben Hoster with the Scottsdale Police Dept. said in an email. “The male subject is deceased. No other injuries reported.”

Sgt. Hoster said those agents are with the Department of Homeland Security.

Hoster said the suspect has been identified as 48-year-old Erik Dunham who was recently convicted of human trafficking and failed to appear for his sentencing.

Read more from FoxNews13

Man Charged For Child Sex Trafficking After Being Turned In By Mother

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) – A Milwaukee man is heading to trial after his mother turned him in for child sex trafficking.

According to a criminal complaint, 50-year-old Sean Hayes is said to have approached an underage girl about working as an escort back in 2017.

More from CBS 58 WDJT Milwaukee

29 Men Arrested In Sex Trafficking Sting

SAN DIEGO -- Twenty-nine would-be prostitution customers were arrested in the San Diego area last week as part of a statewide crackdown on sexual exploitation of young women and girls, District Attorney Summer Stephan announced Tuesday.

The multi-agency effort, dubbed "Operation Reclaim and Rebuild," took place over a three-day period, focusing on the demand side of human trafficking.

Read more from FOX5 San Diego

Nine Nabbed In Merced Human Trafficking Sting, Police Say

January 31, 2018 05:18 PM 

 

A joint effort in Merced nabbed two alleged human traffickers and seven alleged johns in a recent prostitution sting, according to police.

Two Merced police units, the Disruptive Area Response Team and Gang Violence Suppression Unit, conducted undercover operations last Thursday, Friday and Saturday, police said in a news release. It was part of a statewide effort against human trafficking and prostitution.

Read more from Modesto

Read more here: http://www.modbee.com/news/article197763209.html#storylink=cpy

Va. Man Indicted On Sex Trafficking, Fentanyl Distribution Charges That Led To Overdoses

HARRISONBURG, Va. (WSET) -- A Virginia man has been charged in a six-count federal indictment with sex trafficking, interstate prostitution, and distribution of fentanyl that led to two overdoses after a grand jury sitting in the U.S. District Court in Harrisonburg.

Kendall Demarko Wysinger, 41, of Manassas is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, one count of interstate transportation for prostitution, one count of possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl, which caused the death of another, one count of poindicted, ssession with the intent to distribute fentanyl, which caused the serious bodily injury of another, one count of evidence tampering, and one count of witness tampering.

More from Virginia ABC13 WSET

Sex Trafficking Victim Suing Truck Stops, Hotel For Profiting From Her Suffering

 

Wednesday, January 24, 2018 06:26AM

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) --

A sex trafficking victim from Houston is taking Backpage.com and several well-known truck stops and hotel chains to court, claiming they profited from her suffering.

The alleged victim, identified only as "Jane Doe #1," is suing the classifieds website as well as Hyatt Hotels, Love's Travel Stops and Pilot Travel Centers, among others, in the lawsuit filed Tuesday afternoon.

According to the petition, "Jane Doe #1" is an adult now, but in 2014, she was not even 16 years old and forced into sex slavery. The lawsuit states she was advertised on Backpage.com or trafficked at truck stops and hotels. The businesses sold ads, gas, and hotel rooms and were aware, the lawsuit claims, of what was really happening.

More from  ABC13 Eyewitness News

Fresno Man And Another Plead Guilty To Sex Trafficking Minors

Two men, including one from Fresno, pleaded guilty Tuesday to multiple felony charges for sex trafficking of minors.

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced that defendants Gerald Turner of Fresno and Quinton Brown of Highland in San Bernardino County pleaded guilty to the charges in Tulare County Superior Court.

Read more from the Fresnobee

No Bail For Ex-Death Row Inmate Charged With Sex Trafficking

HONOLULU –  An exonerated death row inmate from Delaware was ordered held without bail Wednesday on a sex trafficking charge in Hawaii.

Isaiah McCoy used force, threats and coercion on young women to make them participate in prostitution, U.S. prosecutors alleged. He needs to be locked up so other victims can safely come forward, Assistant U.S. Attorney Morgan Early said at Wednesday's detention hearing in Honolulu. He's a danger to the community and to witnesses, she said.

"The nature of the charge involves threats, it involves violence," she said.

FoxNews reports

Michigan Woman Convicted Of Running Online Sex-Trafficking Ring Of Minors

LANSING, Mich. - A Lansing woman was convicted Friday for running a sex-trafficking ring that included minors.
Amber Speed, 40, was found guilty by a jury of one felony count of conducting a criminal enterprise for running a sex-trafficking ring composed of minors.

Read more from Michigan WDIV4 News

Third Suspect Arrested In Fayetteville Teen Sex Trafficking Case

FAYETTEVILLE, NC (WTVD) --

Detectives with the Fayetteville Police Department's Human Trafficking Unit have charged and arrested a third suspect in connection with a human trafficking investigation that began in September involving a 16-year-old victim.

 Ashley Skinner, 23, of the 3500 block of Ireland Drive, has been charged with felony promoting prostitution of a minor and felony conspiracy to commit human trafficking of a minor victim.

Skinner was taken to the Cumberland County Detention Center and is being held on a $10,000 secured bond.

A second suspect, Antonio T. McAllister, 33, of the 1900 block of Tryon Drive, was arrested October 11 and and charged with human trafficking a child victim, contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile, promoting prostitution of a minor, felony conspiracy to commit human trafficking of a minor, second-degree forcible rape, and assault on a female.

More from ABC11 News North Carolina

Human Sex Trafficking Happening in the Midlands' Backyard

Lexington, SC (WLTX) - Two sixteen-year-old girls were rescued by the Town of Lexington Police after being discovered during a sex-traffic bust at a motel.

Officials say the sting took place at a local hotel on November 21, with officers from the Lexington County Multi-Agency Narcotics Enforcement Team task force posing as “Johns” answering ads online.

Officers say Twenty-Nine-year-old Donnell Woodard and Twenty-Three-year-old India Cuyler are being charged with Sex Trafficking of a Minor.

CBS WLTX19 reports more

Ex-Oklahoma Lawmaker Pleads Guilty To Child Sex Trafficking

A former Oklahoma state senator accused of engaging in child prostitution and pornography pleaded guilty Thursday to a federal charge of child sex trafficking.

Former two-term Republican state Sen. Ralph Shortey entered his plea before U.S. District Judge Timothy DeGiusti in exchange for federal prosecutors dropping three child pornography charges against him.

Shortey, dressed in a blue suit and wearing a GPS tracking device on his left ankle, said nothing when DeGiusti ordered him back into federal custody pending sentencing. Shortey removed his jacket and tie, and federal marshals handcuffed him and led him away.

ABCNews reports

Man Charged With Human Trafficking In Waco Arrested On Similar Accusations In 2 Other States

A Texas man accused of similar offenses in at least two other states was arrested on a human trafficking charge Tuesday in Waco during an undercover operation by the McLennan County Sheriff's Office.

An undercover investigator made a prostitution arrangement with a woman and agreed to meet at a local motel, according to an arrest affidavit.

While conducting surveillance, investigators saw Donquell James Allen, 29, leave the room where the woman agreed to meet and go to a car in the parking lot, the affidavit states. A detective went to the motel room and met the woman who was detained for investigation purposes.

Waco Texas Herald-Tribune reports

8 Arrested In Human Trafficking Investigation

Oshkosh -   The Oshkosh Police Department announced today the arrest of 8 men as they conducted a human trafficking investigation yesterday, focusing on persons who are willing to pay for sexual contact.

Read more from NBC26.com

"Ramsay the Great" Hip Hop Producer Pleads Guilty To Human Trafficking

ANAHEIM, CA — A 25-year-old Granada Hills resident and hip-hop music producer known as "Ramsay Tha Great" was sentenced to 10 years in prison for pimping four women in Orange County.

Brandon Christopher Ramsay pleaded guilty Tuesday to four counts of pimping and pandering, and one count each of human trafficking and assault with a firear — all felonies.

Read more from Orange County

Sex Sting Leads To 277 Arrests In Florida

A cancer surgeon, a teacher, a pediatrician, an Air Force veteran, a retired police officer and a colonel in the Marine Corps were among the nearly 300 people arrested in Florida in a massive prostitution sting, police say.

The undercover human trafficking operation, which was called "Operation No Tricks, No Treats" and ran from Oct. 10-15, netted 277 people, according to a press release from the Polk County Sheriff's Office.

From US News And World Report