Three Charged in Sex Trafficking and Transportation Case

ROCHESTER, NY—Jodia Campbell, 32; Laree Greggs, 37; and Jennifer Miller, 26, all of Rochester, New York, were charged with various felonies, including the transportation of a minor in interstate commerce to engage in prostitution and sex trafficking of a minor, United States Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. of the Western District of New York announced today. Sex trafficking of a minor and the transportation of a minor in interstate commerce to engage in prostitution each carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment and a maximum penalty of life imprisonment and a fine of $250,000. The transportation of individuals in interstate commerce to engage in prostitution carries a maximum of penalty of 10 years and a fine of $250,000.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany H. Lee, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaints, in April 2013, Rochester Police began investigating the alleged prostitution of a 16-year-old female from Rochester, New York, using the name “Cherry Red” on backpage.com in Pennsylvania. According to the complaint, the 16-year-old alleged that she was recruited by Miller and taken to New Jersey and Pennsylvania to engage in prostitution by Miller, Campbell, and Greggs. Other adult individuals also alleged having been transported by Greggs, Miller, and Campbell at various times, out of state, to prostitute. Investigators reviewed backpage.com ads and found contact information associated with Miller, Campbell, and Greggs.

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 (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, 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 www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The criminal complaint was the culmination of an investigation on the part of the FBI’s Cyber Task Force, which includes the Rochester Police Department; the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Chief Patrick O’Flynn; and special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Brian Boetig, Special Agent in Charge.

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.