Two Men Charged with Sex Trafficking of Three Victims

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that two men were charged in federal court today for the sex trafficking of three victims.

Calvin Anthony Miller, also known as “Serious,” 34, and his cousin, Henry Dailey, 36, were charged with conspiracy to commit sex trafficking in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo. Miller and Dailey remain in federal custody pending a detention hearing on Oct. 20, 2016.

Today’s complaint is the result of Operation Cross Country X, an international FBI investigation of sex trafficking in partnership with local law enforcement agencies.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the federal criminal complaint, a federal undercover agent assisted the Independence, Mo., Police Department, posing as a customer attempting to hire a prostitute for sex. On Oct. 14, 2016, the undercover agent located an online listing for an individual identified as Victim 1. The post included provocative and partially nude photos and her description and some possible acts that she was willing to do. The agent contacted Victim 1 and she agreed to meet him at a hotel.

Victim 1 provided law enforcement officers with information on Miller, who she said was her pimp, and Dailey, both of whom she said exploited commercial sex workers. Victim 1 told law enforcement officers that Miller was violent and abusive, the affidavit says.

According to the affidavit, Victim 1 located online advertisements for two additional women who had been trafficked by Miller, identified as Victim 2 and Victim 3. Victim 2, who is described in the affidavit as “a very young baby-faced girl,” had recently arrived in Kansas City on a bus with Dailey, the affidavit says.

An Independence police detective located Victim 2 with Dailey at an Independence hotel. They were detained, the affidavit says, and Victim 2 told the detective that she wanted away from the group and just wanted to go home. Law enforcement officers also found Victim 3 at the hotel. She stated, “If I tell you anything he will kill me” and started crying. Victim 3 stated that she did not believe the police could provide enough security to protect her from “these guys.” Victim 3 said she wanted to leave and get away from Miller.

While at the hotel, agents determined that Miller had rented two rooms on the third floor and a room on the first floor. Agents made contact with Miller on the third floor. Miller was noncompliant with law enforcement requests, was directed to the ground, and cuffed.

Each of the victims told law enforcement officers that Miller and Dailey required them to work as prostitutes, threatening them with violence and death if they tried to leave, and took all of their money. According to the affidavit, they also said that Miller and Dailey forced them to use drugs to keep them addicted and dependent on them.

Victim 3 said Miller had broken her hip during a violent encounter in Overland Park, Kan., in June 2016. According to the affidavit, Victim 3 was treated at the hospital, and when she was released she was given six weeks’ worth of pain medication. After a week, she said, Miller had used the remaining amount of her pain medication. After two weeks, Miller allegedly required her to begin working as a commercial sex worker with a broken hip, without pain medication.

According to the affidavit, Victim 3 showed federal agents the ledger where she had been keeping track of the money she had made. Victim 3 told agents that she had paid Miller approximately $13,000 over the past month. 

Victim 3 told agents that Miller had transported her from St. Louis to Kansas City, Las Vegas, and as far away as Washington state to work as a commercial sex worker. She had wanted to leave on multiple occasions, she said, but was not able to leave. Victim 3 also told agents that Miller had a Google voice account which allowed him to view and hear all text message and verbal conversations on her phone.

Dickinson cautioned that the charges contained in this complaint are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Teresa A. Moore. It was investigated by the FBI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Independence, Mo., Police Department.