Lerenzo M. White, Sex Trafficking, Ohio 2024

COLUMBUS, Ohio — A 30-year-old Columbus man known as ‘Justice’ and ‘Justin’ is behind bars on federal charges after being indicted on five counts of human trafficking. Lerenzo M. White faces life in prison for allegedly running a brutal sex trafficking ring that preyed on vulnerable women for more than two years.

The indictment, returned January 26 by a federal grand jury and unsealed today during White’s initial appearance, details a campaign of violence, manipulation, and drug-fueled coercion. Authorities say White recruited and controlled at least five women from July 2013 through May 2016, forcing them into commercial sex acts across hotels and homes in Ohio. He allegedly used physical violence and the threat of heroin withdrawal to maintain control.

Benjamin C. Glassman, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, joined Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and law enforcement leaders from the Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force in announcing the charges. Those include Steve Francis, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien, Columbus Police Chief Kim Jacobs, and Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin. White was arrested yesterday by Task Force agents.

Each count of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion carries a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and could result in a life sentence. Prosecutors say White profited financially from the exploitation, operating with the precision of an organized criminal enterprise while leaving deep trauma in his wake.

The investigation was led by the Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission Human Trafficking Task Force, with support from U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, Columbus Division of Police, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Delaware County Prosecutor’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather A. Hill and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer M. Rausch, Director of the Franklin County Special Victims Unit.

An indictment is not a conviction — Lerenzo M. White is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law. Anyone with information about this case is urged to contact the ICE HSI Tip Line at 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423).