Three from New York Charged with Offering to Sell Women

NORFOLK, VA—Prince Lee, 20; Henry Olson, 21; and Arielle Pierre, 21, all from New York, have been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of conspiracy, transportation for prostitution and coercion and enticement.

Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Royce E. Curtin, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation Norfolk Office, made the announcement.

Lee, Olson, and Pierre all face a maximum penalty of 20 years if convicted.

According to the indictment, on May 15, 2013, Prince Lee and a young woman posted an ad on craigslist.com in Hampton Roads offering to sell the woman as a “sex slave” for $10,000. The Virginia Beach Police Department was monitoring the site and came across the ad and responded. The undercover officer spoke with Prince Lee, of New York, and the young woman, and they agreed to sell three women for approximately $225,000. They agreed to meet in Virginia Beach on June 1. Prince Lee and Henry Olson recruited Jane Doe 1, a 30 year-old also from New York, and told the woman she would receive $10,000 just to hang out with a friend of Prince Lee’s in Virginia. After much persuasion, she agreed. Arielle Pierre and Prince Lee recruited Jane Doe 2 also to spend a few hours with the man. Neither of the women was told that she was being “sold” to the man. Lee, Olson, Pierre, and two others drove with the Jane Does from New York and arrived in Virginia Beach on the morning of June 1. Under observation by the police, Lee and Pierre were seen yelling at and grabbing the Jane Doe 2, trying to force the woman to remain and go to the “date.” Jane Doe 2 eventually ran into a nearby hotel, where employees hid her in the back room. Prince Lee also threatened to desert Jane Doe 1 in Virginia and throw away her car keys if she did not go forward with the plan. In the afternoon of June 1, the UC arrived for the “date,” and all defendants were arrested.

This case was investigated by the Virginia Beach Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Elizabeth Yusi is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

Criminal indictments are only charges and not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae.