Showing posts with label prostitution. Show all posts
Showing posts with label prostitution. Show all posts

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Queens, NY pimp sentenced to 25 to life for sexual slavery of woman

A Queens pimp who forced a 19 year old woman into prostitution was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison yesterday for coercing a 19 year old homeless, vulnerable woman into sexual slavery. 32 year old David Brown "paid" $2000 for the victim, who he took nude photos of, pimped her online, and made between $60 and $200 off of her while she was forced to have sex with 30 men over 12 days in August 2008.

He weas the 1st person charged under New York's sex trafficing law, enacted by former governor Eliot Spitzer in 2007. Brown was convicted of that charge, along with kidnapping and other charges.

Sentencing judge, Queens Supreme Court Justice Michael Aloise, told Brown. "You are a con man of the first order. I'm going to do my best to insure that you never see the light of day again."

Brown blamed his ex-"girlfriend" for his predicament.
I did not do the crime," Brown said. "This was straight jealousy from an old girlfriend that I left. I never touched [the victim]. I never kidnapped her."

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Pimps sentenced to prison after guilty pleas in prostitution ring in West Seattle

(Original Post 10-11-09)

Twenty-one year old Gerald Jackson was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison in a Seattle courtroom by King County Superior Court Judge Helen Halpert on Friday. Jackson's sentence was enhanced because he is a member of the West Side Street Mobb gang. Jackson was accused of pimping three women, collecting all on the money they earned. Jackson described how he forced one of the women to prostitute herself.

King County prosecutors filed charges against six men thought to be members of or affiliated with the West Seattle gang following a joint investigation by the King County Sheriff's Office and Seattle police. Jackson and four others have pleaded guilty to prostitution-related offenses so far; the sixth, 19-year-old Deshawn Cash Money Clark, is currently facing a jury.

"Although she started doing it voluntarily, I used threats to keep her working for me. I expected her to turn over her earning to me. I have hit her hard enough to cause bruises."

"I am determined to leave prison a better human being," he also said.

Absent from his statement, at least in Halpert's expressed view, was any understanding of or remorse for the damage done to the women who prostituted themselves for him.

Speaking to Jackson, the judge said she did not hear him take responsibility for his actions. Still, in an unusual move, Halpert issued a sentence six months shorter than the one prosecutors and Jackson's attorney had agreed on as part of the plea agreement; asked to explain her reasoning by Senior Deputy Prosecutor Sean O'Donnell, Halpert said she was persuaded by Jackson's short criminal record.


Another defendant, 21 year old Desmond Manango, was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison for promoting prostitution. His sentence was shorter than Jackson's because he was not involved with a gang.

Clark's trial will continue on Tuesday.

(Update 10-18-09) Another defendant has been sentenced in the case. 20 year old Thomas Foster plead guilty to two counts of first-degree promoting prostitution, conspiracy to commit the same crime and second-degree assault. On Friday, October 16, King County Superior Court Judge Helen Halpert sentenced Foster to 5 1/2 years, 6 months longer than the recommended sentence by both the prosecution and defense.

The charges came from Foster's coercion of his baby's mama into prostitution. Foster threatened to leave the victim if she did not make money, and "when she did make money, I would take all of from her. I did not care if she might get hurt (working on the street). I just wanted to make money." The 2nd degree assault charge stems from an incident in West Seattle where Foster choked and tried to choke his victim.

(Update 12-29-09) Shawn Clark, DeShawn's brother, was sentenced to 9 years in prison on December 11 by King County Superior Court Judge Helen Halpert for 9 criminal counts including violating a protective order, promoting prostitution, witness tampering and criminal conspiracy. Shawn pled guilty to these charges in August, and his brother faces 20 years for his part in the prostitution ring. DeShawn Clark is the 1st person in Washington State to be convicted of human trafficking and faces 20 years in prison when he is sentenced next month.

(Update 1-27-10) DeShawn Clark was sentenced to 17 years in prison last Friday. The prosecution's case rested on the testimony of three girls Clark lured into prostitution, including the prosecution's star witness, a 19 year old girl.

Having fallen out of touch, Clark and the teen began dating during the summer of 2007. That relationship quickly took a violent turn, prosecutors contended, and the teen was soon on her way to Las Vegas with Clark to work as a prostitute.

After pimping the teen in Las Vegas, Clark returned with her to Washington and continued to pimp her there. All the while, prosecutors alleged, Clark assaulted her and threatened to do worse to keep her working for him.

When it became clear to Clark and others in the gang that the young woman intended to testify, prosecutors claim they began to harass her in the hope that she'd be scared away from court. The girl was shot with a pellet gun, greeted by two of Clark's associates at a confidential shelter, and chased into the truck of a Seattle police detective, who proceeded to arrest one of her pursuers.

The victim explained to police that she continued working for Clark because "if I do or don't say anything, they're gonna get me, gonna hurt me. It doesn't matter what I do. They're gonna do what they're gonna do to me, so I might as well do what's right."

After this victim escaped, a second victim, a 15 year old girl that Clark "dated" was forced to "walk the track." According to King County Prosecutor Sean O'Donnell, "If [Clark]felt that she was taking breaks unnecessarily, he yelled at her to get back out on the track and make him some money.At the end of each day, he returned to pick her up and took the money she had earned." Clark also beat the girl along with other associates from the West Side Mobb.

One admitted pimp and Street Mobb member, Mycah Johnson, described learning how to manipulate and intimidate young women from Clark. "'Cash' showed me how to be a pimp," Johnson wrote the court. "He would tell me where I should have (her) work and would explain how to use Craigslist to post her ads. He told me how to manage (her), specifically with respect to the money she earned -- I was to keep all of it."

The sentencing judge was King County Superior Court Judge Douglass North.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Husband sentenced to 9 months in British jail for pimping wife, others

Daily Mail [UK]
By Dan Newling and Arthur Martin
Last updated at 4:15 PM on 07th July 2009

A school games master was jailed for nine months today after pleading guilty to running a brothel. Tim Blake-Bowell, 47, a teacher at King Ethelbert School in Birchington, near Margate, Kent, had admitted a charge of controlling prostitutes for financial gain at a previous hearing at Canterbury Crown Court.

His ex-wife Emma, 37, also pleaded guilty to the charge, but was given a nine month suspended sentence today as the judge said she had been susceptible to pressure from her husband due to her vulnerable mental health.

By day, Blake-Bowell was a dedicated teacher at the rural comprehensive, where he was fanatical about hockey and cricket. By night, he sold his body and managed a team of six other prostitutes - including his wife - from a rented flat in Canterbury.

The court heard that Blake-Bowell was responsible for the financial side of the brothel, variously named Gem's, Pandora's and Men for all Seasons, paying the six women they employed and taking care of bills and rent.

His wife, who had herself worked as an escort in the city since 2004, was in charge of the day-to-day running of the business. She acted as a receptionist, worked out the girls' rotas, introduced them to clients and also prostituted herself.

The couple, who have two young children, split up after their arrest in December 2007.
Sentencing the pair today, Judge Adele Williams said: 'You Timothy Blake-Bowell rented a flat at 21 Henry Court, Gordon Road, in Canterbury.


'From the address, six prostitutes including your wife and co-defendant offered sexual activity for money. You and your wife controlled these prostitutes. You placed advertisements in papers and rotas were organised. You and your wife took approximately 40 per cent of their earnings.
This was organised prostitution which is a criminal offence. I accept that there is no evidence of coercion or corruption and there were no illegal immigrants or underage girls, but you did this for money.'


'Your overheads were approximately £2,000 a month and in my judgment you would not have continued with this enterprise unless you were making a profit.'

Alistair Walker, prosecuting, earlier described how Blake-Bowell offered clients 'personal services by male and females for men, women and couples of all persuasions'.

Mr Walker told the court: 'Blake-Bowell organised and paid for advertisements in the press, took bookings, organised rotas and took a share of earnings. In his hands-on position as owner of the business he was in a position to direct operations at close quarters. He helped come up with the advertising strap lines and was responsible for the financial side of the business. He was aware of which girls were working and when.

He drove them home after their shifts and he told them what they should say when talking to clients over the phone.'

Blake-Bowell, 47, paid £560 a month to rent the Canterbury flat and spent another £1,400 a month on advertising. The brothel was staffed from 11am until midnight with the women charging £40 for a massage, £60 for 30 minutes of sex and £100 for a full hour.

The court was told in mitigation that the women were allowed to keep 60 per cent of their takings rather than the 50 per cent rate normal in brothels in the area. Although the Blake-Bowells used only willing British women, their operation was uncovered during a Kent Police probe into illegal sex-trafficking from Eastern Europe.

The court heard that during a raid on the flat in November 2007 officers spoke to a woman calling herself 'Lorna Larouche'. While the flat contained nothing that indicated that anyone lived there permanently, it was filled with underwear, sex toys and massage oils. During a subsequent undercover operation a vice squad officer named in court as Steve posed as a client and was offered sex by a woman at the property. Steve declined and instead had a massage, the court heard.

In court, Emma, 37, who has two more children by a previous husband, was described as a working prostitute who called herself 'Brandy'. She was also the brothel's 'meeter and greeter'.
In police interviews she admitted that she had been involved in running the operation, explaining that she had decided to take a more managerial role as she was 'fed up with being abused'.


While selling your body for money is not illegal in England, profiting from prostitution is.
Shortly after his arrest in December 2007, Blake-Bowell lost his job at 700-pupil King Ethelbert although he was allowed to stay on until the end of term. He has taken up taxi driving.


At the time, school sources said they were astonished at his involvement, with one mother describing the sports master as a 'model teacher'. Blake-Bowell shed tears as a statement from his former headmaster was read out describing him as a 'valued and trusted colleague' who had shown 'unstinting commitment to those pupils in his pastoral care'.

His lawyer offered no insight into why he turned to vice other than to say: 'He is horrified by his situation and what he has done.'

The court also heard that his estranged wife, who since the age of 16 has never worked as anything other than a prostitute, suffered an abusive childhood and a violent relationship with her former partner. She met her current husband while living in a women's refuge in Canterbury and had two more children with him.

Their marriage was not a success either, but she 'simply didn't have the strength to leave him', her lawyer, Deborah Charles, said.

Addressing Emma Blake-Bowell, Judge Williams said: 'I have come to the conclusion that you remained in what was for you a destructive relationship with your co-defendant, and you were unable to resist at the suggestion of your husband, to engage in destructive sexual behaviour.'
She added that pre-sentencing assessments on the defendant had found that she suffered from clinical depression and chronic post-traumatic stress disorder due to her difficult background.


Giving her a nine-month sentence suspended for two years, the judge added that she must also carry out a two-year supervision order in which she must seek treatment, as well as a three-month curfew order. She said: 'If you don't get help now then the cycle will begin again and you will no doubt breach your order and you will come back in front of me.'

Blake-Bowell did not show any emotion as he was led away from the dock. He was suspended from his post at King Ethelbert School, a mixed comprehensive, following his arrest and is now no longer employed there.

Monday, February 11, 2008

Couple pimp 17 year old girl, face minor charges due to Illinois AOC

Jermel D. Pope, 22, and Mary M. Jefferson, 30, both of the 2000 block of Fox Pointe Drive, were charged Saturday with pandering and may face additional charges after arranging for a Wisconsin runaway, who is 17, to have sex with paying customers. The 17 year old runaway, Trisha Jobe of Bagley, WI, faces prostitution charges.

Because Illinois' age of consent is 17, and all 17 year olds in Illinois are considered adults from a criminal perspective, Pope and Jefferson are not being charged with the more serious offence of juvenile pandering. Regular pandering is not a SO registry offense in Illinois.

Police launched an investigation Thursday after receiving an anonymous tip they said linked Pope to alleged prostitution-related activities. Undercover investigators from the Aurora Police Department's Special Operations Group contacted him and arranged a meeting for the next night that was to involve three girls at an Oswego hotel, a release stated.

When officers arrived, Pope and Jefferson provided only Jobe for the sexual acts. After money was exchanged, all three were arrested without incident. Police said Jefferson booked the room under the instruction of Pope, her boyfriend.It is unclear how the couple initially made contact with the teen, but police said they allegedly drove to Wisconsin several weeks ago to help her run away. They then arranged for her and other women to act as prostitutes, police alleged.

This is the latest in a string of Craigslist prostitution cases uncovered by Chicagoland police investigators.

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

California cousins allegedly pimp disabled woman

Two cousins, one of wich is a suspect in a juvenile prostion ring, have been arrested for allegedly pimping a 19 year old develpmentally disabled woman. Della Silva, 19, along with her boyfriend, was identified as a suspect in pimping and pandering a 14 year old girl in an incident which occured last year.

Police continued an investigation into Silva when, in January, a 19-year-old developmentally disabled woman alleged that Silva's cousin raped her and that Silva had forced her into acts of prostitution with strangers, according to police.Police served a search warrant at Silva's Vallejo home Tuesday, arresting Silva and turning her 21-month-old daughter over to Solano County Child Protective Services, according to the Police Department.

Silva's cousin, San Francisco resident Dwayne Fitch, was arrested a short time later in Napa, Vallejo police reported. During interviews with police, Fitch allegedly admitted to taking part in the rape of the 19-year-old victim, police reported. Fitch also reportedly described how Silva allegedly sought out clients for the victim and drove the woman to meet the clients and engage in sex acts in exchange for money, according to the Police Department.

Bpth suspects were booked on charges of pimping, rape of a person with a mental disorder, sodomy, lewd and lascivious acts, and conspiracy. Police believe that there were additional victims, and anyone with any information should call Vallejo police Detective Cpl. Les Bottomley at (707) 648-4533.