Ten Arrested in Baltimore Based Upon Federal Human Trafficking Indictment Returned in El Paso
| U.S. Attorney’s Office October 14, 2011 |
United States Attorney Robert Pitman announced that 10 individuals are in federal custody charged in connection with a forced prostitution scheme based in El Paso.
On Wednesday, federal authorities in Baltimore, Maryland, arrested 43-year-old Alarcon Allen Wiggins and nine other Baltimore residents charged with one count of transportation for prostitution and one count of coercion and enticement.
The indictment, returned by a federal grand jury in El Paso on October 5, 2011, and unsealed Wednesday, alleges that since December 2009, the defendants, aided and abetted by one another, knowingly transported individuals in interstate commerce, as well as enticed individuals to travel in interstate commerce, to engage in prostitution.
Information provided during today’s detention hearings in federal court in Baltimore revealed that the defendants, as directed by Wiggins, recruited and transported several females to El Paso and other locations in order to engage in prostitution. In addition, the defendants confiscated all of the proceeds from the prostitution activities as well all identification documents and personal communication devices, namely cell phones and laptop computers, in order to keep their victims from fleeing or seeking help.
The indictment also contains a notice of criminal forfeiture whereby the government is seeking to forfeit $1 million, as well as two vehicles, which represent proceeds allegedly derived from the criminal activity.
Other defendants arrested Wednesday include: 20-year-old DeAngelo Perry Smith (aka “D-Lo“); 23-year-old Deyonta Thompson (aka “Wezz Fresh“); 18-year-old Marc Corey Williams (aka “DJ Yung Rock,” and “J-Rock“); 28-year-old Martes Milton Jackson (aka “Tuesday“); 25-year-old Shelby Nicole Smith (aka “Bebe“); 30-year-old Roxanne Michelle Mitchell (aka “Nakira,” “Foxy,” “Roxy,” “Mama,” and “Cherish“); 26-year-old Amanda Gayle Darbonne (aka “Kristale,” and “Kristal“); 24-year-old Holly N. Reemer (aka “Amira“); and, 22-year-old Brandi L. Minnich (aka “Natasha“).
The defendants remain in federal custody and are awaiting transfer to the Western District of Texas. Upon conviction of the transportation and coercion charges, the defendants face up to ten years and 20 years in federal prison, respectively.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Baltimore Police Department SWAT team assisted in making the arrests. Assistant United States Attorney J. Brandy Gardes and Daniel Crumby are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.