A pair of Burlington women has been sentenced to federal prison for their roles in a sex trafficking ring that forced victims to engage in paid sex acts in exchange for money.
Miesha Lasha Stanley, 32, was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison on April 22, 2024, for conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking, attempted sex trafficking of a child, and sex trafficking three adult victims.
According to public court documents, Stanley used force, fraud, and coercion to compel victims to engage in sex acts with customers in exchange for money. She took some or all of the money that the victims earned and used their vulnerabilities, including a lack of stable housing, drug addiction, abusive relationships, and lack of familial support, to compel them to engage in paid sex acts.
Stanley allowed the victims, most of whom were females in their late teens and early 20s, to live at her residence in Burlington. She posted sex advertisements for the victims online, communicated with customers, and arranged for customers to engage in sex acts with the victims at her residence and other locations. Stanley also conspired with co-defendant Rosella Marie Taylor to sex traffic one of the victims.
Taylor, 36, was sentenced to 122 months of imprisonment for conspiring to sex traffic, attempting to sex traffic, and sex trafficking two victims. Taylor used force, fraud, and coercion, and conspired with Stanley to use force, fraud, and coercion, to compel an adult victim to engage in paid sex acts. Taylor invited the victim to live at her residence in Burlington and posted sex advertisements for the victim online.
The investigation into the sex trafficking ring was led by the Burlington Police Department, assisted by the Des Moines County Attorney’s Office, and the Iowa Department of Public Safety. The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.
Human trafficking is a crime involving the exploitation of youth under the age of 18 for commercial sex; the exploitation of adults for commercial sex through the use of force, fraud, or coercion; and the exploitation of any individual for compelled labor. Signs that a person is being trafficked can include working excessively long hours, unexplained injuries, and a lack of control over their own finances and personal documents.
On behalf of the Burlington Police Department, Police Chief Adam Schaefer commended the investigators and the victims who came forward and cooperated with law enforcement. Schaefer noted that human trafficking is not limited to large metropolitan areas and that vigilance is key to preventing and detecting these crimes.
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Key Facts
- State: Iowa
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes|Human Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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