Greenwood Man & Greenville Woman Indicted on 10 Counts of Sex Trafficking, Conspiracy, and Witness Tampering

COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA — A federal grand jury in Columbia returned a 10-count superseding indictment against Eric Rashun Jones, a/k/a “E Dolla,” a/k/a “E,” 30, of Newberry, charging felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, human trafficking conspiracy, five counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, & coercion, and three counts of witness tampering. The grand jury also indicted a co-conspirator, Brittany Danielle Cromer, 33, of Greenville, with human trafficking conspiracy.

The superseding indictment alleges that between 2018 and 2022, Jones and Cromer recruited, enticed, harbored, transported, and sex trafficked at least five victims by force, fraud, or coercion.  The indictment alleges that Jones also corruptly persuaded victims and witnesses to not speak to the police.  The indictment also charges that Jones was a felon in possession of a Springfield Armory, 9mm handgun and 9mm ammunition.

Jones faces six counts that carry a mandatory minimum of 15 years in federal prison; he faces a maximum penalty of up to Life in prison.  Cromer also faces up to Life in prison.

Jones was ordered detained pending trial by U.S. Magistrate Judge Paige J. Gossett after a contested detention hearing.  At that hearing, the Court heard evidence that Jones was a fugitive from state law enforcement from September 2019 until his arrest in March 2022.  He has remained in custody since that time.  Evidence presented in Court also indicated that Jones recruited vulnerable women and obtained commercial sex from victims for his financial benefit by means of physical and sexual violence, by manipulating victims’ drug withdrawal symptoms, and by threats and fraud. Evidence was presented that some victims were tattooed with a reference to Jones’s name.  Evidence also indicated that Jones threatened violence and retaliation if victims or witnesses cooperated with law enforcement.

Cromer was granted a bond pending trial with conditions designed to protect against flight risk or danger.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Greenville Police Department, Newberry County Sheriff’s Office, Newberry Police Department, Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, and Simpsonville Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elliott B. Daniels and Elle E. Klein are prosecuting the case. 

U.S. Attorney Adair F. Boroughs stated that all charges in the indictment are merely accusations and that defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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