Two Boston Area Men Convicted of Sex Trafficking Children

BOSTON, MA—Two Boston area men were convicted today of conspiracy to traffic women in interstate commerce for the purpose of prostitution and transporting minors in interstate commerce for the purposes of prostitution.

Acting United States Attorney Michael K. Loucks, Warren T. Bamford, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Police Commissioner Edward Davis of the Boston Police Department, announced today that DARRYL TAVARES, age 26, of Revere, and EDDIE JONES, age 26, of Dorchester were convicted in U.S. District Court today in Boston following a 10-day jury trial.

This investigation into the sex trafficking of minors began in 2005 after a minor female victim reported to police that she had been prostituted in and outside of Massachusetts by local pimps. The investigation led to the indictment of six men on conspiracy and related sex trafficking charges. Four of the co-conspirators pled guilty to the conspiracy count prior trial and are awaiting sentencing.

The jury heard testimony from several trafficking victims, including many who were under the age of 18 years when the offenses occurred. The victims also testified about how TAVARES and JONES worked together to control the prostitutes’ behavior, switched underage prostitutes back and forth among them, and viciously beat the young women. One victim, who was a minor at the time of the offense, testified that defendant TAVARES carved her face with a potato peeler to scar her permanently so everyone would know she belonged to him. Another victim, who was also a minor at the time of the offense, testified that JONES choked her after transporting her to Washington, D.C. for the purpose of prostitution. Yet another victim who was only 16 years old when the charged offense occurred, testified that after she had run away from her pimp, TAVARES lured her back to the pimp and sat back and laughed as he brutally beat and attempted to kill her by placing a plastic bag over her head and taping it securely around her neck.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Boston Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Leah Foley and George Vien in Loucks’ Drug Task Force Unit.