Buffalo Pair Indicted for Sex Trafficking

BUFFALO, NY—U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that a federal grand jury in Buffalo has returned a nine-count indictment charging Kenneth White, 37, of Buffalo, New York, with conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and sex trafficking of a minor, and interstate transportation for commercial sex. The charges carry a maximum penalty of life in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. In addition, Caitlin Connelly, 29, also of Buffalo, was charged with conspiring with White to engage in sex trafficking.

Assistant U.S. Attorney John E. Rogowski, who is handling the case, stated that the according to the indictment, between 2004 and December, 2012, White and Connelly conspired to cause five victims to engage in commercial sex acts, knowing and in reckless disregard of the fact that means of force, threats of force, fraud and coercion and a combination of such means would be used to cause the five victims to engage in those commercial sex acts. White also was charged with sex trafficking of a minor victim. In addition, White was charged transporting some of the victims out of New York State to engage in commercial sex acts.

Kenneth White was arraigned this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge H. Kenneth Schroeder. He is being held pending a detention hearing on November 26 at 3:15 p.m. Caitlyn Connelly will be arraigned on November 26 at 2:00 p.m.

The indictment is the result of an investigation on the part of special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Brian P. Boetig, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Office, and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Weirauch.

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.