BALTIMORE, Md. — Three people have been indicted on charges related to a human trafficking ring that officials said stretched from Baltimore to Prince George’s County.
During a news conference in Baltimore to announce the charges, Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh said the ring’s victims were “recruited, coerced, intimidated, abused and transported to sell sex for money to benefit the defendants.”
The woman and two men charged are 35-year-old Terra Marie Perry, 42-year-old Rashid Marwan Mosby and 26-year-old Joshua Isaiah Jones, all from the Baltimore area, according to Frosh. They are accused of operating the ring from 2013 through 2015.
The human trafficking operation “crossed county and state lines, it touched multiple jurisdictions and spanned years,” Frosh told reporters.
According to the indictment, the three co-defendants recruited young women from Maryland and neighboring states. Among the victims were two teenagers including one from New Jersey and another trafficked from North Carolina.
The indictment describes how the ring used a network of hotels and motels and advertised the operation as an escort and modeling agency under the name “Pink Pleasure Entertainment.” The three defendants also placed ads on the website backpage.com.
Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Angela Alsobrooks said it was difficult to convince victims to come forward. Some of the victims were first approached through dating sites. She said they were “groomed” and formed emotional bonds with their traffickers.
“To give you an idea of what we are confronting, we have had for example, dozens of victims, but we were only able to convince a handful of them to cooperate with us,” said Alsobrooks.
Prince George’s County Police Chief Hank Stawinski described the operations of the human trafficking ring as “deliberate, structured, cruelty.” Stawinski told reporters the department became aware of a “pattern of activity,” which led to the investigation. He would not elaborate.
All three defendants face numerous charges including conspiracy to commit human trafficking, human trafficking of a minor and receiving the earnings of a prostitute.
According to the Attorney General’s Office, the charges of human trafficking carry potential penalties of up to 10 years in prison and fines of up to $5,000. In cases involving victims of human trafficking who are under the age of 18, the penalties are higher: up to 25 years in prison and fines of up to $15,000.
