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Wilbur “Wilby” Senat, 23, of Haverstraw, was already in federal custody after FBI agents on charges of sex trafficking of a minor when the government announced this morning that two of his three alleged accomplices were due in U.S. District Court in Newark this afternoon.
Those two — Karl “Dreadhead” Venord, 30, and 35-year-old Samuel “Dre” Verrier, both of Philadelphia – face similar charges.
A fourth man, 28-year-old Varian Charles, also of Philadelphia, was indicted by a federal grand jury yesterday after being charged in a criminal complaint in July. Like Senat, he’s being held without bail.
Senat met the girl in upstate New York in 2011, then took her to a motel in Nyack, where he forced her into prostitution, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman said today.
He then “threatened the victim that if she did not agree to leave New York with him, her family would be harmed,” Fishman said. “As a result of these threats, the victim agreed to leave with Senat. [He] then purchased tickets for himself and the victim to travel from New York City to Philadelphia via public transportation.”
There, the victim and Senat were picked up by Charles, he said.
“Charles took them back to his house in Philadelphia, where Senat and Charles told the victim that she would be staying at Charles’ house in order to engage in prostitution,” Fishman said. “While at Charles’ house, the victim was forced to have sex with various individuals, who paid Senat and Charles in exchange for the sex acts performed by the victim.
“While the victim was staying at Charles’ house, she was also physically abused by Senat and Charles.”
Verrier turned up soon after. He “took the victim from Charles and told her that she could make more money working for him. Verrier then brought the victim to various clubs in Philadelphia, where he instructed her to solicit club patrons for sex acts in exchange for money.”
Venord entered the picture in late August 2011, the U.S. attorney said.
Convincing her that she was headed to visit a family member in New Jersey, the trio told her during the car ride that they intended to blackmail someone, according to an FBI complaint. They told her “that she was to have sex with this individual and take photographs of him, and that they would use these photographs” against him, Fishman said.
Vernord and Verrier drove the victim to Bordentown, where they found their target outside a bank. They “attempted to have the victim proposition the individual, but they were unsuccessful in this attempt,” Fishman said.
Fishman credited special agents of the FBI for the investigation leading to the charges. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah Wolfe in Trenton and Courtney M. Oliva in Newark.
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