U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite announced that TIMOTHY JONES, a/k/a “Lucci,” “King Lucci,” “Lucci Loco,” age 25, of Memphis, was charged today in an eight-count Indictment for offenses related to his involvement in the sex trafficking of two minor into the New Orleans area for the purposes of those minors engaging in prostitution.

According to the Indictment, in early December 2013, JONES met and began recruiting Victim 1, a 17-year-old female from Baton Rouge, to work for him as a prostitute. For approximately three weeks, Victim 1 did so. In early January 2014, JONES met Victim 2, a sixteen-year-old female from Memphis and recruited her to work for him as a prostitute. JONES then arranged for Victim 2 to travel first to Louisville, Kentucky, and then to New Orleans, to work for him as a prostitute. JONES required Victim 1 and Victim 2 to give him all of the money they earned from engaging in prostitution. JONES advertised prostitution dates with Victim 1 and Victim 2 using an online classified website. JONES instructed Victim 1 and Victim 2 on how much to charge for sex, how to solicit “dates,” and how to avoid detection by law enforcement. He also instructed them to steal credit cards, wallets, cash, and other valuables from customers.

JONES also used a variety of means to control his victims. Among his techniques, JONES provided them with alcohol and illicit drugs to numb their senses, control their behavior, and encourage them to continue engaging in prostitution. To further coerce his victims, JONES beat them, punched them, and forced them to have sex with him. JONES also beat, punched, and choked others who worked for him as prostitutes in front of Victim 1 and Victim 2 as a means of threatening and intimidating them. When Victim 2 told JONES that she wanted to return to Memphis and stop working for him as a prostitute because she was ill and did not want him to beat her anymore, JONES told her that he would send her home once she earned enough “real” money.

If convicted, JONES faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of fifteen years and a maximum of life, followed by up to a life term of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. JONES may also be required to register as a sex offender.

“As alleged, Timothy Jones used violence, alcohol, and drugs to coerce underage women into prostitution,” stated U.S. Attorney Polite. “Today’s indictment continues our Office’s heightened efforts in combating human trafficking. Individuals and businesses that profit from these heinous crimes are now on notice.”

U.S. Attorney Polite reiterated that the Indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”

U.S. Attorney Polite praised the work of the New Orleans Field Offices of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from the Louisiana State Police, in investigating this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan Ginsberg is in charge of the prosecution.