Naeem Lateef Odums, Sex Trafficking by Force, California 2017

Naeem Lateef Odums, 39, of Clovis, California, and Portsmouth, Virginia, has been charged with sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion after a nearly nine-year scheme that left a woman hospitalized in 2017.

According to the indictment, Odums forced a woman, identified as ‘Jane Doe,’ to engage in commercial sex acts in California and Virginia for nearly nine years. The indictment alleges that Odums used a combination of extreme physical violence, threats of violence, and threats of kidnapping Jane Doe’s children, as well as other forms of control, to cause her to perform commercial sex acts.

Odums arranged appointments for Jane Doe using a website known to promote prostitution, and collected all the money Jane Doe earned both from her appointments, as well as from her legitimate jobs. In January 2017, Jane Doe was hospitalized after Odums broke three of her ribs and punctured her lung.

Odums faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison if convicted. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The investigation into Odums’ actions was led by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) team, with assistance from the Portsmouth Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney V. Kathleen Dougherty is prosecuting the case.

An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney V. Kathleen Dougherty, with assistance from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) team and the Portsmouth Police Department.

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