Category: USDJ Human Trafficking

Source: United States Department of Justice (Human Trafficking)

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Kansas man made his initial appearance after a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Kansas, indicted him on multiple charges related to sex trafficking multiple victims, including children.

 According to court documents, Elijah Z. Haley, 21, of Atchison was indicted on two counts of sex trafficking of a child, two counts of sex trafficking accomplished by force, fraud, or coercion, two counts of transportation with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, and two counts of transportation for illegal sexual activity.

The defendant made his initial court appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Angel D. Mitchell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas. 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Kansas Highway Patrol, Atchison, Kansas Police Department, and the Boone County, Missouri Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Audrey McCormick is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Source: United States Department of Justice (Human Trafficking)

SAN ANTONIO – A Dallas man was sentenced in a federal court in San Antonio to 84 months in prison for conspiracy to transport undocumented noncitizens.

According to court documents, Sedrick Zelitis Smith, 47, was a member of a human smuggling organization, coordinating transport of migrants who arrived in Laredo from Mexico, serving as the go-between for organization leadership and load drivers during smuggling events, and assisting in the theft and procurement of tractor trailers. On multiple occasions, Smith traveled between Dallas, San Antonio and Laredo to assist with smuggling loads. He also served as a driver for the organization, smuggling migrants from Laredo to San Antonio, using his commercial driver’s license.

Smith’s arrest was the result of an investigation led by Homeland Security Investigations beginning in May 2021. Agents learned that the human smuggling organization had smuggled more than 900 migrants from Laredo to San Antonio inside tractor trailers in at least 19 human smuggling events. The loads ranged from approximately 30 migrants to more than 100 packed into a single trailer.

Nine others have been indicted in the case. Bryan Adamson, Ronnie Joe Branch, Eliseo Loredo, Rodney Edward Shavers, Mark Algie Holliday, Francisco Arredondo-Colmenero, and Debbie Marie Gonzales await court proceedings.

Fredi Zagala-Servin was sentenced in April to 97 months in prison for Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens.

Norman Lee Walker Jr. was arrested May 21.

“With the rise of human smuggling in recent years, it is absolutely critical that we send a message to criminals throughout all levels of these organizations that their crimes at the expense of vulnerable individuals are serious, they are dangerous, and we are here to readily prosecute,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas. “I appreciate the dedication of our partners at HSI and our Joint Task Force Alpha initiative. Their efforts have been essential in taking down this HSO and many others. We’ll continue to dismantle these groups and serve justice together.”

“Justice was served for a human smuggler responsible for coordinating the transportation of hundreds of noncitizens from Laredo to San Antonio. These noncitizens were crammed into tractor trailers, during multiple smuggling events in the stifling Texas heat,” said Special Agent in Charge Craig Larrabee for HSI San Antonio. “HSI is committed to aggressively target human smugglers and smuggling organizations who continually victimize people for profit.”

HSI and JTFA investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Brown prosecuted the case.

The indictments and convictions of these defendants are the result of the coordinated efforts of Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA). The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas is part of JTFA, which was established by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland created JTFA in June 2021 to marshal the investigative and prosecutorial resources of the Department of Justice, in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security to strengthen the Justice Department’s efforts to combat the rise in prolific and dangerous smuggling emanating from Central America and impacting our border communities. JTFA is comprised of detailees from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices along the southwest border, including the Southern District of Texas, the Western District of Texas, the District of New Mexico, the District of Arizona, and the Southern District of California. Dedicated support is also provided by numerous components of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division that are part of JTFA, led by the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP), and supported by the Office of Prosecutorial Development, Assistance, and Training (OPDAT), the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section (NDDS), the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS), the Office of Enforcement Operations (OEO), the Office of International Affairs (OIA), and the Violent Crime and Racketeering Section JTFA also relies on substantial law enforcement investment from DHS, FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and other partners. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in over 295 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of human smuggling; over 230 U.S. convictions; 170+ significant jail sentences imposed; and forfeitures of substantial assets.

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Source: United States Department of Justice (Human Trafficking)

ALBUQUERQUE – Two brothers who operated a human smuggling stash house in Sunland Park, New Mexico, where migrants were held hostage pleaded guilty to federal charges.

On Jan. 18, 2023, U.S. Border Patrol agents apprehended two groups of undocumented noncitizens (UNCs) in El Paso, Texas, who stated they had escaped from a stash house in Sunland Park. Border Patrol agents were able to link the two groups to the same stash house in the “Old Anapra” neighborhood of Sunland Park. The UNCs reported being threatened at gunpoint and were told to pay additional smuggling fees.

After identifying the stash house, Border Patrol agents contacted Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents, who  conducted surveillance, obtained a search warrant, and found seven migrants being held against their will on the property, including a woman and her 7-year-old child.

In his plea agreement, Saul Castorena, 41, admitted that between January 15 and January 18 of 2023, he intentionally detained individuals in order to compel their family to pay for their release. To that end, Saul possessed a shotgun, knowing that he had previous felony convictions.

In his plea agreement, Steven Castorena, 40, admitted that he conspired with and acted independently with others to transport and harbor migrants.

The Court ordered that Steven and Saul remain detained pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled.

At sentencing, Saul faces up to life in prison. Upon his release from prison, Saul will be subject to up to five years of supervised release.

At sentencing, Steven faces up to 10 years in prison. Upon his release from prison, Steven will be subject to up to three years of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Eric McLoughlin, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations – El Paso, made the announcement today.

Homeland Security Investigations investigated this case with the assistance of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Randy Castellano and Devon Aragon Martinez are prosecuting the case.

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Source: United States Department of Justice (Human Trafficking)

TUCSON, Ariz. – Maria Mendoza-Mendoza aka “La Guera”, 52, of Honduras, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Raner C. Collins to 120 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Mendoza-Mendoza pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens for Profit. 

“Today’s sentencing is the latest example of the great work of Joint Task Force Alpha, which we launched nearly three years ago to hold accountable the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling groups, and which has obtained more than 240 convictions to date,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “This defendant exploited vulnerable migrants for her own profit, risking their lives and our national security in the process. Together with our partners across the federal government, the Justice Department will continue our efforts to dismantle and disrupt human smuggling networks like those the defendant operated.”

“Cooperation and collaboration are key tools in protecting America from the reach of international human smuggling organizations,” said United States Attorney Gary Restaino. “We thank Honduras for its willingness to extradite, the various local agencies who interdicted migrants and helped us make the connection to a larger organization, and all of the Joint Task Force Alpha partners for dismantling a smuggling network.”

“Human smuggling is an insidious crime and one that this defendant participated in over 100 times – all for profit,” said Fransisco B. Burrola, special agent in charge for HSI Arizona. “Human smugglers do nothing but prey on vulnerable people who at times pay with their lives while crossing the border. Smugglers endanger and exploit people by using dangerous networks that threaten the safety of our communities and our national security; HSI is committed to combatting this type of cross border crime along with our partner law enforcement agencies. Let this sentencing serve as a warning to other smugglers contemplating their continued participation – prison awaits you.”

Mendoza-Mendoza was the leader of a smuggling organization that smuggled over 100 migrants from Honduras to the United States. As the leader, she coordinated the movement of migrants from Honduras to the United States/Mexico border and to stash houses operated in Phoenix, Arizona, where the migrants would be detained until their smuggling fees were paid. The organization utilized funnel accounts to collect millions of dollars in smuggling fees. Mendoza-Mendoza exercised her authority within the organization to assess punitive sanctions—she threatened to “bleed out” a guide as punishment and demanded that a migrant whose family did not pay his smuggling fee be thrown “back in the desert.”

Mendoza-Mendoza was indicted in January 2018 and extradited from Honduras to the United States in June 2023. In determining Mendoza-Mendoza’s sentence, Judge Collins found that the conspiracy involved several aggravating factors, including smuggling unaccompanied minors, possession of a firearm, intentionally or recklessly creating a substantial risk of death, and detaining migrants through coercion or threat in connection with a demand for payment.

This prosecution resulted from the coordinated efforts of Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA). The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona is part of JTFA, which was established by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland in June 2021 to marshal the investigative and prosecutorial resources of the Department of Justice, in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to enhance U.S. enforcement efforts against the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. The Task Force focuses on disrupting and dismantling smuggling and trafficking networks that abuse, exploit, or endanger migrants, pose national security threats, and are involved in organized crime. Since its creation in June 2021, JTFA has achieved significant results, including 305 arrests, including against leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators; 242 U.S. convictions; 175 U.S. defendants sentenced, including significant jail sentences imposed; substantial seizures and forfeiture of assets and contraband, including hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, real property, vehicles, firearms and ammunition, and drugs; multiple indictments and successful extradition requests against foreign leadership targets.

Homeland Security Investigations – Sells Office conducted the investigation in this case, with significant assistance from Customs and Border Protection’s United States Border Patrol’s Tucson Sector, and numerous state and local law enforcement agencies throughout the country. The United States Marshals Service assisted with the extradition efforts. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Honduras to secure the arrest and extradition of Mendoza-Mendoza. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:           CR-18-0078-TUC-RCC
RELEASE NUMBER:    2024-069_Mendoza-Mendoza

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.

Source: United States Department of Justice (Human Trafficking)

           Montgomery, Alabama – Today, United States Attorney Jonathan S. Ross announced that a federal judge sentenced 45-year-old Jamecko Rontae Thomas, a resident of Montgomery, Alabama, to 130 months in prison. Thomas’s sentence follows his entering a guilty plea for sex trafficking of a minor. During the May 13, 2024, sentencing hearing, the judge also ordered that Thomas serve five years of supervised release following the prison term. Federal prisoners are not eligible for parole.

           According to his plea agreement and other court records, in July of 2021, Thomas went to a Montgomery hotel to engage in a commercial sex act with a female who was under the age of 18 at the time. A co-defendant arranged the encounter. When he pleaded guilty to sex trafficking of a minor, Thomas specifically admitted that the sex act occurred with a reckless disregard for the child’s age. Also pursuant to the plea agreement, Thomas admitted to both knowledge of past incidents of commercial sex acts arranged by his co-defendant and that he was aware of narcotics being used to induce sex trafficking victims.

           “Sex trafficking is a terrible crime—one that scars its victims for a lifetime,” said United States Attorney Ross. “This prosecution should send a clear message that my office will hold all individuals accountable for their participation in child sex trafficking and child exploitation, whether they are the traffickers or merely patrons.” 

           This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

           The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, and the Montgomery Police Department investigated this case, with Assistant United States Attorneys J. Patrick Lamb and Tara S. Ratz prosecuting.

Source: United States Department of Justice (Human Trafficking)

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today the guilty plea of MARIO ELPIDIO CHAVEZ MILLAN, a human trafficker working with Mexican “coyotes,” for conspiring to transport illegal aliens throughout the United States.  As part of his plea, CHAVEZ also admitted to his participation in a kidnapping conspiracy.  CHAVEZ pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Vincent L. Briccetti and is scheduled to be sentenced on August 7, 2024.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Mario Elpidio Chavez Millan and others like him are an integral cog in the human trafficking machine that preys on people who attempt to enter the United States through its southern border each year.  The services that Chavez offers are what make it possible for coyotes, the cartels, and others to smuggle people throughout the country, often times for large fees.  And in this case — as in many cases involving human traffickers — Chavez and those working with him sought to extort their victims for even more money.  This Office will use every tool available to law enforcement to investigate and prosecute those involved in human trafficking.”

According to the Complaint previously filed against CHAVEZ, the Indictment, and other filings:

On about July 10, 2023, the New York State Police in the Town of Cortlandt, New York, received a report from an individual (“Individual-1”) that Individual-1’s relative (“Victim-1”) had entered the country illegally with the assistance of “coyotes” and was being transported by a man in the United States working with the coyotes, who was later identified as CHAVEZ.  Individual-1 further informed the State Police that CHAVEZ had told Victim-1 that he was not going to release Victim-1 unless Victim-1 or his/her family paid $1,000 in addition to the money that Victim-1 had already paid to the coyotes.

That evening, State Police executed a traffic stop of CHAVEZ’s vehicle in the Town of Cortlandt.  At that time, there were approximately five people in the vehicle in addition to CHAVEZ.  After those passengers and Victim-1 were brought to the State Police barracks, each reported that they had illegally entered the United States and that they were being driven by CHAVEZ from in or about New Mexico to other states throughout the country.  Several of CHAVEZ’s passengers stated that CHAVEZ threatened them during the drive, telling them that they could not leave without paying him an additional $1,000 and that CHAVEZ told them he had previously killed someone for running away without paying.

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CHAVEZ, 19, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, pled guilty to one count of conspiring to transport aliens throughout the United States, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Hudson Valley Resident Agency and Safe Streets Task Force and the New York State Police.

The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division.  Assistant U.S. Attorney David Markewitz is in charge of the prosecution.  

Source: United States Department of Justice (Human Trafficking)

Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, former Village of Brewster Police Officer Wayne Peiffer was sentenced by United States District Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall to 36 months’ imprisonment for his participation in a conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act extortion and conspiracy to commit bribery.  Additionally, Peiffer must pay $5,000 in forfeiture as well as perform community service during his supervised release for no less than four hours per week for a total of 208 hours. The community service should benefit Brewster, New York or a nearby community.

The charges arose from Peiffer’s protection of two Queens-based prostitution businesses from law enforcement when the businesses brought women to his jurisdiction in Brewster, New York, to engage in prostitution.  Peiffer pleaded guilty to the charges in April 2022. 

Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Ivan J. Arvelo, Special Agent-in-Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, New York (HSI), James Smith, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Edward A. Caban, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the charges.

“The defendant is rightly punished with a prison sentence for disgracing his badge, violating the public trust in the community he was sworn to serve, and facilitating the victimization of vulnerable women all for his own self-satisfaction,” stated United States Attorney Peace.  “Rooting out public corruption in all its pernicious forms is a priority of this Office as such conduct undermines trust in law enforcement.”

Mr. Peace also expressed his appreciation to the Putnam County District Attorney’s Office for their continued support and assistance throughout this investigation.

“Wayne Peiffer violated his sworn oath to serve the community by using his authority as law enforcement to protect known sex traffickers and perpetuate the further victimization of the trafficked women,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Smith. “Today, justice has been restored. Peiffer’s sentence emphasizes the FBI’s intolerance of corrupt individuals who abuse their position and disrupt the public’s confidence in our law enforcement departments.”

“Wayne Peiffer, a police officer and trusted public servant, used his official position to shield prostitution route drivers and sex traffickers from other local and state law enforcement in exchange for sexual favors,” stated HSI New York Special Agent-in-Charge Arvelo.  “This case is particularly alarming because Peiffer not only betrayed his sworn duty to uphold the law, but his actions also facilitated the trafficking of young women. HSI will not tolerate those who abuse their positions of trust to commit these despicable acts exploiting the most vulnerable members of our society.”

“Today, a former police officer who once swore an oath and then betrayed it in reprehensible fashion is facing the consequences of his actions,” stated NYPD Commissioner Caban. “Law enforcement is a noble profession that provides no harbor for those who would tarnish the shield we proudly wear. I commend everyone from the NYPD, HSI, FBI, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District for their work on this important case.”

From approximately 2010 through October 2018, Peiffer provided protection to members of a prostitution business and a sex trafficking organization that each transported women from Queens to Brewster for the purposes of engaging in prostitution.  Peiffer’s protection included advance notice of increased law enforcement activities and assistance with avoiding detection and apprehension.  For example, on one occasion Peiffer warned members of the Cid-Hernandez Sex Trafficking Organization not to travel to Brewster because law enforcement officers in a narcotics investigation were conducting car stops in the area.  Peiffer met one of the criminal organization’s employees in a service station and told him to leave the area.  On another occasion Peiffer called one of the organization’s drivers and advised him not to travel to Brewster because of law enforcement activities.  When a driver for the organization was pulled over by another Brewster police officer, Peiffer vouched for the driver, describing him as a “friend.”  In exchange for his assistance, Peiffer received sexual services from the women at no cost.

Four of Peiffer’s co-defendants, Luz Elvira Cardona, Roberto Cesar Cid Dominguez, Blanca Hernandez Morales and Jose Facundo Zarate Morales were convicted after trial of sex trafficking in October 2023, and they are awaiting sentencing.  Co-defendant Cristian Godinez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to facilitate prostitution and conspiracy to facilitate bribery.  He was sentenced in December 2023 to 14 months in prison.   

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Civil Rights Section.   Assistant United States Attorneys Nicholas J. Moscow and Rachel Shanies are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Ryan Costley. 

The Defendant:

WAYNE PEIFFER
Age:  51
Highland, New York

Co-Defendants:

LUZ ELVIRA CARDONA
Age:  35
Queens, New York

ROBERTO CESAR CID DOMINGUEZ
Age:  61
Queens, New York

CRISTIAN NOE GODINEZ
Age:  44
Queens, New York

BLANCA HERNANDEZ MORALES
Age:  53
Queens, New York

JOSE FACUNDO ZARATE MORALS
Age:  35
Queens, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 21-CR-622 (LDH)

Source: United States Department of Justice (Human Trafficking)

          GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN — U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten today announced that a federal jury convicted Terrence Clay, age 39, of Kent County, on all charges: (1) sex trafficking of a child; (2) sexual exploitation of a child; and (3) distribution of child pornography. Clay is scheduled to be sentenced on September 17, 2024.

          “Treating his victim like nothing more than property, Terrence Clay repeatedly ordered a minor to sell herself for sex,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. “Today’s guilty verdict on all counts secures a measure of justice for the victim and the entire community who is harmed by these heinous crimes. Working with our law enforcement partners, social service providers, and others we will continue our efforts to end the scourge of human trafficking.”

          Evidence introduced at trial showed that Clay met the minor victim at a park in the City of Grand Rapids in early October 2022. He had sex multiple times with the victim and ordered her to have sex with other men for money, at one point directing her to “make a sign” and “panhandle,” offering specific sex acts at set prices. After securing nude images of the minor victim, Clay advertised her online.

          Police found the minor victim in a library, and she was taken to a foster home in the Upper Peninsula, while law enforcement began its investigation. Meanwhile, Clay located the minor victim and picked her up at her foster home early on the morning of November 12, 2022, without the knowledge of the foster family. Shortly after crossing south of the Mackinac Bridge, law enforcement pulled over the vehicle and found the minor victim in the car with the defendant.

          “The conviction of Terrence Clay is a testament to the exceptional investigative work carried out by our WEBCHEX task force in partnership with law enforcement agencies to combat child trafficking,” said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. “We are committed to doing everything in our power to protect our children from exploitation and will continue to work tirelessly towards this goal.”

          “Our Human Trafficking Task Force continues to make progress in prosecutions and building relationships with area victim service providers to further enhance Kent County’s response to sex and labor trafficking,” said Kent County Sheriff Michelle LaJoye-Young. “It is not lost on us the impact these horrible crimes have on victims and our overall community.”

          The case was investigated by the Kent County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI, Kentwood Police Department, Forsythe Police Department, Cheboygan Sheriff’s Office, Tuscarora Township Police Department, the Michigan State Police and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Constance Turnbull.

          This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan; county prosecutor’s offices; HSI; Michigan State Police’s Internet Crimes Against Children task force; the West Michigan Based Child Exploitation Task Force (WEBCHEX); and federal, state, and local law enforcement are working closely together to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children. Anyone with information or concerns about possible child exploitation should contact local law enforcement. For more information about Project Safe Childhood in West Michigan, including resources for children and parents, please visit: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdmi/project-safe-childhood.

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Source: United States Department of Justice (Human Trafficking)

CINCINNATI – A federal jury has convicted Kelly Richards, 43, of Cincinnati, with sex trafficking minors, sexually exploiting children and illegally possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon.

Richards is also known as “Scorpio” and has a tattoo of a scorpion on the left side of his face. The jury found him guilty on all counts following a six-day trial before U.S. District Judge Jeffery P. Hopkins.

According to court documents and trial testimony, investigators were alerted in March 2023 that two juveniles had been screened as potential sex trafficking victims.

Richards picked up two minor victims who had fled a group home in Dayton and drove them to an apartment complex in Cincinnati. At the apartment, Richards provided the minors with cocaine before sexually assaulting them.

Richards also enticed the females into having sex with other men for money that was paid to Richards. The defendant created prostitution advertisements online with explicit pictures of the minor victims and used physical violence against them. Court documents detail that one victim was prostituted up to four times per day in hotels and homes.

Sexually exploiting children is a federal crime punishable by a range of 15 to 30 years in prison. Sex trafficking minors carries a potential penalty of at least 10 years and up to life in prison. Illegal possession of a firearm in this case is punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Court at a future hearing.

Federal agents arrested Richards on May 16, 2023.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and other members of the FBI’s Anti-Trafficking Task Force announced the verdict returned the evening of April 30. Assistant United States Attorneys Kyle J. Healey and Megan Painter Gaffney are representing the United States in this case.

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Source: United States Department of Justice (Human Trafficking)

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Eric Rashun Jones, 31, of Newberry, was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to human trafficking conspiracy, felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, and witness tampering.

Evidence presented in court showed that from August 2018 through November 2022, Jones violently exploited women in the commercial sex trade for his financial gain. He did so by means of physical violence and force, including beating victims with a pistol and other objects and hitting victims with closed fists causing victims multiple surgeries, hospitalizations, broken bones and teeth, permanent injuries, and scarring. He also directed and recorded on his phone the assault of many victims, preventing victims from trusting others involved in the Jones conspiracy. He also used sexual violence, including compelling women to engage in sex acts against their will. 

He abducted two of his victims and restrained them for multiple days. He introduced drugs to some victims, promoted the drug addictions of others, including fentanyl, and exploited withdrawal symptoms to coerce commercial sex. He used fear and threats of violence and death of victims spoke with the police. He used fraud, including recruiting victims under false pretenses, and high levels of control, including controlling how many victims worked, ate, showered, travelled, spent money, who they spoke to, and access to phones. He isolated his victims from others, and tattooed many with his name, which victims described as Jones signifying ownership. 

After initially splitting commercial sex proceeds, Jones commonly confiscated proceeds for his financial gain. Evidence presented indicated 19 women were connected to the conspiracy he led, many of whom were identified as victims in the case. Victims described fearing Jones would kill them, feeling trapped, and feeling like they had no option to leave. He also tampered and interfered with the investigation by directing victims to not speak with agents and threatening to harm their families if they did.  

“Our office will continue to bring every resource to bear to vindicate victims’ rights and hold traffickers like Jones accountable,” said Adair F. Boroughs, U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina.  “The cruelty, violence, and exploitation Jones showed his victims has no place in our society, and we are grateful for the accountably he’s received. I want to particularly acknowledge the courage and resilience of the victims and the hard work of law enforcement to see this case through.”

“Jones’ crimes revealed the depth of human depravity and outright evil he casually and continuously imposed upon his victims,” said Steve Jensen, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Columbia Field Office. “His heinous crimes yielded lifelong trauma that will be hard to reverse. This stiff sentence of justice removes him from the innocent victims’ lives and places him where he will no longer be able to inflict harm. The FBI is grateful for our local law enforcement partners for conducting this joint comprehensive investigation to hold this violent offender accountable. We also recognize the diligent work of the Victim Specialists who supported and continue to support the victims with valuable resources.”

United States District Judge Sherri A. Lydon sentenced Jones to 40 years imprisonment, to be followed by a lifetime term of court-ordered supervision, no contact with victims, and $65,000 in restitution payable to eight victims. There is no parole in the federal system. Jones’ co-defendant, Brittany Cromer, previously pleaded guilty to human trafficking conspiracy, and was sentenced to five years earlier this month.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

This case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office, with assistance from the Simpsonville Police Department, Greenville Police Department, Greenville County Sheriff’s Office, Newberry County Sheriff’s Office, Newberry Police Department, Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, Richland County Sheriff’s Department, Anderson County Sheriff’s Office, and the South Carolina Department of Corrections.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elliott B. Daniels and Elle E. Klein prosecuted the case.

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