Five charged in St. Paul-based multi-state sex trafficking ring
Ramsey County prosecutors Tuesday charged five St. Paul residents in a multi-state sex trafficking ring that included two minors among the victims.
"This is truly about greed and money," Ramsey County Attorney John Choi told reporters as he unveiled the charges against the alleged ring operating in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio, Georgia and Kentucky.
Choi called it a sophisticated operation that used Vanilla Visa gift cards to purchase ads for girls on the online classified website Backpage.com.
The five known victims were ages 16 to 24 years old. One victim was reportedly forced to have sex with men seven times a day, generating roughly $400-$500 per day for the ring, according to Choi's office.
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Four of the defendants are in custody. A fifth is expected to be arrested today. The four from St. Paul are Thomas William Evans, 25; Ishmael Jamaine Williams, 19; Doris Marie Keller, 38; Yolanda Katrice Foster, 28; and Suwan Dominique Cross, 19.
According to the complaint, Evans and Keller recruited a victim in Fort Worth, Texas in October 2013, "promising her a better life, including a car and a house if she would join them."
When the victim came to Minnesota, Foster allegedly posted Backpage.com ads in the Twin Cities area and forced her to provide sexual services for money at an area hotel room to each man who responded to the ad.
"The operation later moved to two St. Paul homes, including Evans' mother's home on Maryland Avenue where the victim performed in-calls and out-calls. When she was not responding to these calls, the victim had to walk the street to look for 'johns,'" according to Choi's Office.
The girls were controlled through "verbal intimidation, hitting them in the legs, and providing drugs."
Proceeds from the transactions were passed around between Evans, Williams, Keller and Foster, the complaint said.
Historically, law enforcement had to rely on information given by victims but now focus more on electronic data, Choi said.
Even though prosecutions of sex trafficking cases have improved with 14 convictions in 2010 compared with 63 in 2013, Choi said attitudes need to change to bring trafficking under control.
"How is it that a boy grows up to be a man and believes that it's OK to purchase another human being for sex?" Choi said.
Four defendants will have their first appearances in Ramsey County District Court on Wednesday.