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PA Man Admits To Running Brutal Sex Trafficking Ring Across Four States PA Man Admits To Running Brutal Sex Trafficking Ring Across Four States
Philip Walker Admits To Running Brutal Multi-State Sex Ring A Pennsylvania man has confessed to orchestrating a violent, multi-state sex trafficking operation that preyed on vulnerable women, federal prosecutors announced on Wednesday, Feb. 19. Philip Walker, 39, of Pittsburgh, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion before United States District Judge Cathy Bissoon, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania said. Between November 2019 and April 2022, Walker systematically recruited and lured adult women in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Florida, and Texas, exploiting them through t…

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by Jillian Pikora
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PA Man Who Filmed Unconscious Rape Victims Sentenced To 25 Years: DOJ PA Man Who Filmed Unconscious Rape Victims Sentenced To 25 Years: DOJ
Eric Jefferson Sentenced To 25 Years For Sex Trafficking A Pittsburgh man accused of raping unconscious women and trafficking them for commercial sex work has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison, authorities announced on Friday, Jan. 31. Eric Jefferson, 41, was sentenced by United States District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan after being convicted of sex trafficking multiple women between June 2019 and April 2022, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti. Investigators said Jefferson invited women battling drug addiction to live with him at his Polish Hill home, where he provided them with narcotics in exchange for sex. He allegedly wit…

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by Jillian Pikora
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Maryland Man Who Withheld Drugs From 'Dopesick' Women Forced Into Prostitution Gets Prison Time Maryland Man Who Withheld Drugs From 'Dopesick' Women Forced Into Prostitution Gets Prison Time
Maryland Man Who Withheld Drugs From 'Dopesick' Women Forced Into Prostitution Gets Prison Time A 36-year-old Maryland man who used women's' drug dependency to compel them to participate in commercial sex work for him up and down the East Coast will spend nearly two decades in prison, federal authorities announced. William O’Neil Murray III pleaded guilty in August 2024 to sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion over the course of several months in several states. On Monday, Jan. 13, Murray was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison and also ordered to pay his victims nearly $95,000 in restitution. “This sentencing is a powerful reminder that the FBI Richmond team will tir…

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by Zak Failla
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Former PA Senate Chaplain Charged In Sex Trafficking Sting Former PA Senate Chaplain Charged In Sex Trafficking Sting
Former PA Senate Chaplain Charged In Sex Trafficking Sting A Cumberland County pastor faces serious charges after allegedly patronizing a massage parlor at the center of a human trafficking investigation, according to court documents obtained by Daily Voice Wednesday, Nov. 27. Stephen Robert Melton, 65, of Mechanicsburg, a pastor at Big Spring Presbyterian Church in Newville, is accused of paying for sex acts at least 68 times over five months at GL Massage Spa in Carlisle. The charges, filed by the Cumberland County District Attorney’s Office, include: Felony Patronizing a Victim of Human Trafficking with Reckless Disregard Misdemeanor…

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by Jillian Pikora
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West Reading Doctor Accused Of Exploiting 13-Year-Old Girl, Possessing Child Pornography West Reading Doctor Accused Of Exploiting 13-Year-Old Girl, Possessing Child Pornography
West Reading Doctor Accused Of Exploiting 13-Year-Old Girl, Possessing Child Pornography ** Warning: The following details may be disturbing to some readers. ** A former Lancaster County family medicine physician is facing felony charges for sexually exploiting a 13-year-old girl and possessing child pornography, according to police, public records, and court documents. Frank Yang Liu, 33, of Manheim, was charged after an investigation by the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, the Northern Lancaster County Regional Police Department (NLCRPD), and Lancaster County detectives. Authorities allege Liu used Instagram to exchange explicit messages and images …

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by Jillian Pikora
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22 Arrested In Human Trafficking Stings Across Cumberland County: DA 22 Arrested In Human Trafficking Stings Across Cumberland County: DA
22 Arrested In Human Trafficking Stings Across Cumberland County: DA Twenty-two people were arrested during recent human trafficking operations in Cumberland County, with more arrests expected, District Attorney Seán M. McCormack announced Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. The arrests are part of Operation: Closed2Trafficking, a campaign targeting illegal commercial sex trafficking, and Impact Demand, an initiative aimed at combating the demand for such exploitation. Authorities executed multiple stings over the last month, uncovering alleged criminal activity at massage parlors and through undercover operations, according to McCormack. “These operations are a message…

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by Jillian Pikora
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Man Who Watched Girls Changing Charged With Human Trafficking: Dauphin County DA Man Who Watched Girls Changing Charged With Human Trafficking: Dauphin County DA
Kevin Alting Guilty Of Human Trafficking: DA A man caught assaulting girls and watching them change their clothes has been convicted of human trafficking, the Dauphin County District Attorney’s Office announced on Friday, Oct. 11. Kevin Alting, 52, pleaded guilty to criminal attempt to commit trafficking in individuals, unlawful contact with a minor, and indecent assault of a minor under the age of 16 before Judge Scott Arthur Evans on Thursday, Oct. 10, according to the DA’s release. "Under Pennsylvania Law, engaging in a commercial sex act with a minor is Human Trafficking," the DA noted.  Alting’s charges stem from crim…

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by Jillian Pikora
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PA Man Took 5-Year-Old To VA, NY For Sex: USDOJ PA Man Took 5-Year-Old To VA, NY For Sex: USDOJ
John Oathout Gets 25 Years In Fed Pen For Raping 5-Year-Old A 54-year-old Pennsylvania man has been sentenced after admitting to taking a 5-year-old girl for sex in Virginia and New York, the US Department of Justice announced on Wednesday, Sept. 25.  John Oathout, of Harrisburg, PA, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Brenda K. Sannes in Syracuse, NY on Friday, Sept. 20. He'll serve 25 years in federal prison followed by 20 years of supervised release, and he'll be a registered sex offender for the remainder of his life, according to the USDOJ release.  Oathout admitted to taking the 5-year-old girl on trips out of state w…

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by Jillian Pikora
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Bethlehem Man Paid $24K+ To Filipino Child Sex Traffickers: USDOJ Bethlehem Man Paid $24K+ To Filipino Child Sex Traffickers: USDOJ
Bethlehem Man Paid $24K+ To Filipino Child Sex Traffickers: Usdoj A 49-year-old Pennsylvania man has been sentenced for paying and directing "livestreamed sexual abuse of Filipino children," the US Department of Justice announced on Friday night, Aug. 2.  Harold "Harry" C. Daleus (also known as Dalaeus), Jr., 49, of Bethlehem, was sentenced to 20 years in prison to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release for the production of child pornography and related offenses, United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero detailed in the release.  Daleus sent over $24,000 to the Philippines over several years, "in order to view the live transmiss…

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by Jillian Pikora