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Press Release

Monroe County Man Indicted For Sex Trafficking Conspiracy And Interstate Prostitution Crimes

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Pennsylvania

SCRANTON—The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that a federal grand jury in Scranton returned an indictment on June 14, 2016, charging a 39-year-old East Stroudsburg man with conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force and coercion, and interstate transportation of others for purposes of prostitution.

According to United States Attorney Peter Smith, the Indictment alleges that Thurman Stanley allegedly forced and coerced several women to engage in prostitution in Monroe County and elsewhere, and transported women from Pennsylvania to New York, Iowa, and North Dakota to engage in prostitution.  

The charges stem from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pennsylvania State Police, and Bismarck, North Dakota detectives.

The indictment alleges that Stanley and/or his co-conspirators used social network sites to recruit females for prostitution; used cell phones to post ads on adult escort websites to solicit customers; rented hotel and motel rooms in Monroe County and elsewhere for purposes of prostitution; provided heroin and other illegal drugs to the prostitutes; and used force, threats, and coercion to carry out prostitution activities. The indictment alleges that the conduct occurred between December 2013 and December 2015.

Stanley was arrested in May 2016 on a Criminal Complaint and remains in custody.

If convicted of the charges, Stanley faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a potential maximum sentence of life in prison for the sex trafficking charge, and up to 10 years in prison on each of the interstate prostitution charges.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis P. Sempa is prosecuting the case.

Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

The maximum penalty under federal law is life imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.

 

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Updated June 15, 2016

Topic
Human Trafficking