A 21-year-old Tulsa man at the center of a child sex trafficking ring has pleaded guilty in federal court, admitting to exploiting underage girls for profit. Joshua Harring, also known as “Maniack,” entered his plea before U.S. District Judge John E. Dowdell on charges of Child Sex Trafficking and Conspiracy to Engage in Child Sex Trafficking.
Harring was indicted in October 2016 on a six-count Second Superseding Indictment that included charges of obstruction of justice and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence and drug trafficking. Prosecutors say he led a criminal operation that victimized at least three teenage girls in Tulsa, using online ads on Backpage.com to solicit commercial sex acts at local motels.
The investigation began in late December 2015 when Harring and his girlfriend, Morgan Palmer, conspired to recruit girls under 18. On January 4, 2016, Tulsa Police Department’s Vice Unit responded to a Backpage ad and encountered a 16-year-old victim during an undercover sting. Harring was arrested shortly after, but the operation continued.
Despite Harring’s arrest, Vice Unit officers found the trafficking ring still active. A second undercover operation on January 19, 2016 led to the arrest of Palmer, who ran the scheme from her apartment at The Enclave near Brookside. In total, three minors were identified as victims of Harring’s ring, with a fourth victim uncovered in a related case involving co-defendants Latisha Perkins and Dawaune Allen.
Harring is the sixth defendant to plead guilty in this case or related prosecutions. Others—Morgan Palmer, Tajuan Alexander, Steven Gonzalez, Latisha Perkins, and Dawaune Allen—have all admitted their roles in sex trafficking crimes. Several had documented ties to the 52 Red Mob Gang, a known Tulsa street gang involved in organized criminal activity.
Under a plea agreement, Harring faces 22 years in federal prison, with no possibility of parole. Sentencing is scheduled for May 11, 2017, at 10:00 a.m. The case was investigated by the Tulsa Police Department and FBI, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys R. Trent Shores and Andrew J. Hofland. U.S. Attorney Danny C. Williams, Sr. praised the Vice Unit’s work, calling the case part of Project Safe Childhood, a DOJ initiative targeting child sexual exploitation.
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Key Facts
- State: Oklahoma
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Human Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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