Memphis Pimp ‘Nino’ Admits to New Orleans Sex Trafficking

NEW ORLEANS, LA – Laquentin Brown, 32, of Memphis, Tennessee, known on the streets as “Nino,” admitted today to a vile scheme that saw vulnerable women exploited for profit in New Orleans and beyond. Brown pleaded guilty to conspiring to engage in sex trafficking of adult victims and one count of transportation for purposes of prostitution, according to the Department of Justice.

The feds say Brown wasn’t working alone. He teamed up with Granville Robinson, aka “Bear” and “HB”; Duane Phillips, aka “P-nut”; Anthony Ellis, aka “Anthony Deshun Lloyd,” “Animal,” and “AD”; and Christopher Williams, aka “Gutter” – all hailing from Memphis. Together, they allegedly targeted U.S. citizen women, grooming and forcing them into prostitution. The operation wasn’t about ‘choice’; it was about control. Victims were forced to meet daily earnings quotas and surrender all profits to the conspirators.

Court documents paint a grim picture of the control methods used. The pimp crew enforced strict rules: no talking to rival pimps, no eye contact, and even confiscation of identification. The exploitation wasn’t limited to New Orleans; the women were transported across state lines to expand the operation’s reach. Those who resisted or failed to meet demands faced brutal consequences – physical beatings and withholding of food were allegedly common punishments.

“These defendants preyed on vulnerable women and cruelly exploited them for profit,” declared Acting Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta. “At the Department of Justice, we will continue to enforce our human trafficking laws to restore the rights, freedom and dignity to victims of this modern-day slavery.” U.S. Attorney Kenneth Allen Polite Jr. added, “These crimes often pass without detection because victims live in fear… My office is committed to prosecuting individuals who manipulate victims into committing commercial sex acts and profit from this illegal conduct.”

Federal agents are emphasizing the coordinated effort to dismantle these trafficking rings. FBI Special Agent in Charge Michael Anderson stated the investigation serves as a warning: “This investigation and prosecution should serve as a clear reminder to all those individuals engaged in the heinous crime of sex trafficking that the full force of federal law enforcement… will bring them to swift justice.” Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent in Charge Raymond R. Parmer Jr. highlighted HSI’s commitment, noting a doubling of human trafficking arrests in the last two years.

Brown now faces a maximum sentence of ten years in prison for transporting women for prostitution and an additional five years for the sex trafficking conspiracy. His sentencing is scheduled for June 17, 2015. A federal Grand Jury indicted Robinson, Phillips, Ellis, and Williams on October 3, 2014, with similar charges, alleging they conspired to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion. The investigation remains ongoing.