Jury Returns Guilty Verdict in Sex Trafficking Case
Defendant Convicted of Coercing and Transporting Juveniles and Adults to Work as Prostitutes

A Tacoma man was convicted today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma of seven counts related to the sex trafficking of juveniles and adult women, announced U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan. ALEXANDER WALLS, 27, was found guilty of conspiracy to transport a juvenile for prostitution; interstate transportation of a child for prostitution; witness tampering, conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion; and three counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion. The jury deliberated about three hours following a 13-day trial. WALLS faces up to life in prison when sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robert J. Bryan on March 1, 2013.

According to records filed in the case, WALLS controlled as many as four women involved in sex trafficking. Three of them were juveniles when he recruited them to work for him as prostitutes. WALLS controlled their activities and took all the money they earned. He had them work the “track” in Pierce and King Counties, and several of them were advertised as prostitutes on Backpage.com, Craigslist, and TNABoard.com. WALLS arranged for one juvenile to travel from Chicago to Tacoma to work as a prostitute for him. WALLS directed this juvenile to hide from the police and, later, to attempt to recant her report about WALLS’ criminal activities. While directing the prostitution acts of the women, WALLS enforced various “rules” on the women about who they could talk to, how much money they had to make, when they could eat, and where they could work as prostitutes. He assaulted them if they did not follow his rules, including strip searching them to look for money, and demanded they pay him as much as $1,500 before they could leave his control.

WALLS and co-defendant Reginald Irvin were arrested in the summer of 2011. Irvin pleaded guilty October 17, 2012, and both the prosecution and defense will recommend a sentence of 15 years in prison when Irvin is sentenced on January 18, 2013.

The case was investigated by the Tacoma Police Department, Lakewood Police Department, and the FBI’s Innocence Lost Task Force. The FBI’s Innocence Lost Task Force provides a rapid and effective investigative response to reported federal crimes involving the victimization of children. The task force strives to reduce the vulnerability of children to acts of sexual exploitation and abuse and strengthens the capabilities of federal, state, and local law enforcement through training programs and investigative assistance.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney’s Ye-Ting Woo and Bruce Miyake.