Men Sentenced in Pennsylvania Prostitution Ring
Two of Fifteen Total Defendants Get Total of 396 Months Prison
Jan 27, 2009
Two men were sentenced to a combined total of 396 months in prison for their roles in a multi-state prostitution and money laundering ring in Pennsylvania on January 12, 2009. The two men were part of an interstate ring that victimized women and juvenile girls, according to a press statement on the FBI website.
Total of 16 Defendants in Case
The men were two of 16 individuals, who had been charged with interstate prostitution and money laundering in December, 2005. All 16 defendants were charged with a conspiracy to coerce and transport people interstate for prostitution In the indictment, it was alleged that there were more than 100 separate overt acts in furtherance of the crime.
The individuals were charged with using juveniles and adults for prostitution in the area of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; that they coordinated activity by setting prices for sexual services at a Harrisburg truck stop and wiring money to co-conspirators in other states.
According to the press statement released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) the conspiracy transported women and girls over state lines for prostitution. According to the indictment, the one conspirator bragged to another, I love pimping." The conspirators were charged with using violence, beatings and intimidation to recruit and control the girls and women being prostituted.
Robert Scott I, 25, of Toledo, Ohio, was sentenced to a 96 month term of imprisonment.
Kenneth Britton, 43, of Toledo, Ohio, was sentenced to a 300 month term of imprisonment.
Individual defendants were charged with 26 counts of operating an interstate prostitution network, transporting the girls and women over state lines as prostitutes and enticing minors into engaging in prostitution. At least nine of the women were minors under 18 when they were persuaded or coerced into prostitution. The youngest of the girls was only 12 when she was brought into a life of prostitution.
In addition to the charges of interstate prostitution the individuals were charged with money laundering conspiracies which laundered the proceeds of prostitution totaling nearly $310,000.
According to U.S. Attorney Carlson, the Harrisburg investigation began as a result of a similar FBI investigation in Oklahoma City that revealed significant interstate prostitution of minors occurring in Harrisburg and the surrounding area.
Prostitution Ring Organized in Several States
The prostitution ring was an organized operation in several states, including Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Virginia, Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee, Maryland, the District of Columbia, Florida, California, Nevada, Louisiana and Texas. According to investigators, the prostitution enterprise has been operating in the Harrisburg area since before 2001.
Large Scale Fraud in Pennsylvania
 |
