According to the indictment filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, Craig Allen Corey II, 23, now of Millersville, Md., and Chillicothe residents Robert Harris, 21, Richard Johnson, 22, and Jacob Tyler, 22, conspired to operate an interstate prostitution business out of Corey's apartment. The four were indicted Sept. 24, and the indictment was unsealed Tuesday following the suspects' arrests.
Count 1 of the indictment alleging a conspiracy accuses the four of using Craigslist and other Web-based services to place classified advertisements to "persuade, encourage, entice and recruit females to serve as prostitutes and promote their prostitution business."
As part of the conspiracy count, the four are accused of using prepaid debit cards and aliases while making the postings, of photographing women in various stages of undress for the postings, of traveling outside of Maryland to facilitate the business, of using a portion of the proceeds to buy illegal drugs to distribute to associates, prostitutes and customers, and other acts.
Among those girls who allegedly were either transported from out of state to Maryland or enticed there were a 16-year-old and 18-year-old from Ohio. Such alleged transportation and enticement with the intent of prostitution between January and April of this year make up the basis for Counts 2 and 3 of the indictment. Count 4, sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, is specific to the situation involving the 18-year-old Ohio girl, while Count 5, sex trafficking of a minor, was filed only against Corey and deals with the 16-year-old's situation.
Count 6, also filed only against Corey, involves distribution of child pornography in connection with the 16-year-old. Count 7, against all four suspects, involves conspiracy to distribute narcotics, while Count 8, only against Corey, involves distribution of the drug BZP.
The grand jury also found that the defendants should forfeit several items of property in connection with the case, including but not limited to money equal to the value of the proceeds of the offenses, a 2006 Chrysler 300 and a 42-inch high-definition television.
The charges came about after an investigation by the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force and a raid of Corey's apartment on April 24.
According to information published in the Capital Gazette in Maryland, Corey was to have his initial federal court appearance this week in Baltimore, while the other three suspects were to appear in Columbus before being taken to Maryland on the charges.
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JMC Ministries Thoughts
Over the past 3 weeks our little area of Ohio has really been hit with alot of what is considered as big city Crime. The sex trafficking topic really is a burden to us here at JMC Ministries, and one of the main things we focus on. The fact that it is coming to our little town in Ohio is very upsetting and just shows how this is a universal problem. If you read the former post we made about How to buy a Child in 10 hours.
It is just disgusting how Craigslist and other social networking sites are being used to do these kind of horrible crimes against women, men, young girls and boys. There is so much good you can do with these kind of sites. For example how JMC Ministries uses it like our Eternal Flame News blog to inform and encourage others. Please pray for our little area of Ohio as we continue to reach out and help those in need and put this information out there for others to know about. so that they also may be able to help.
