Jamar Marvin Simmons, Sex Trafficking of a Minor, Maryland 2013

Baltimore, MD - In a shocking case of exploitation, former Baltimore City firefighter Jamar Marvin Simmons, a/k/a 'Mar', age 30, pleaded guilty to sex trafficking of a minor. Simmons, who was a firefighter at the time of the offense, operated a brothel in Baltimore City, first at 2218 Madison Avenue and subsequently at a warehouse located at 208 Madison Avenue.

Simmons and co-defendant Franklin Roosevelt Coit, a/k/a 'Frank,' and 'Nitty', age 34, also of Baltimore, falsely advertised positions online for exotic dancing and an escort service to recruit females, including at least one minor female, from inside and outside the state of Maryland. They arranged to transport the women from various locations outside Maryland, including Delaware, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, South Dakota, and Virginia to Maryland to engage in prostitution.

According to their plea agreements, Simmons and Coit took sexually explicit photographs of the females they recruited, used a computer to post the photographs on the 'escort' section of an online advertising website, and listed telephone numbers on the website where the females could be reached to schedule a 'date,' or a commercial sex act. Simmons set the pricing for the commercial sex acts and instructed the females on how to set 'dates' over the telephone, and how to avoid detection by law enforcement.

The case was investigated by the FBI-led Maryland Child Exploitation Task Force (MCETF), created in 2010 to combat child prostitution, with members from 10 state and federal law enforcement agencies. Simmons and Coit face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison for sex trafficking of a minor.

U.S. District Judge George L. Russell III has scheduled sentencing for Simmons on December 13, 2013, at 2:00 p.m. and for Coit on November 1, 2013, at 10:00 a.m. United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the FBI, Baltimore Police Department, and Baltimore City State's Attorney's Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachel M. Yasser, who is prosecuting the case.

The case highlights the urgent need for law enforcement agencies to work together to combat human trafficking and protect vulnerable victims. The Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force, formed in 2007, coordinates with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Maryland State Police Child Recovery Unit to identify missing children being advertised online for prostitution.

Defendant: Jamar Marvin Simmons

Criminal Charges: Sex Trafficking of a Minor

City and State: Baltimore, Maryland

Exact Date: August 1, 2013 (Coit's plea), December 13, 2013 (Simmons' sentencing)

Sentence or Outcome: Mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/pr/former-baltimore-city-firefighter-pleads-guilty-sex-trafficking-minor