Joshua Jacquis Dumas, a 21-year-old man from Atlanta, Georgia, has pleaded guilty to running a commercial sex business that prostituted multiple juvenile girls in Herndon, Virginia, and other locations throughout Virginia, Maryland, North and South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.
According to court documents, Dumas pleaded guilty to engaging in a child exploitation enterprise and faces a mandatory minimum of 20 years and a maximum of life in prison when he is sentenced on June 7, 2013. The plea was accepted by United States District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema.
Dumas admitted that he played an important role in the enterprise, serving as a manager and helping recruit juvenile girls to prostitute for the venture. He and others expressed a romantic interest in a particular girl, and then they tried to make prostituting seem glamorous. Sometimes, if a girl refused to work for their enterprise, members of the conspiracy would steal her money.
The enterprise, led by Edwin Barcus, Jr., used various tactics to exploit the girls, including giving them narcotics to keep them compliant. Dumas admitted that he came to Virginia at the behest of Barcus because of the substantial profits in the state. The girls were transported to Virginia via Greyhound bus, and the enterprise posted multiple advertisements on Backpage.com to attract customers.
Clients were charged at least $80 for 15 minutes of sex, $100 for 30 minutes, and $200 for 60 minutes. The girls were also instructed to charge more for ‘extras’ and were encouraged to always try to get more money from the customers. The girls generally made at least $500 per day.
The FBI, in conjunction with local law enforcement agencies, investigated the case and recovered multiple ‘throwaway’ cell phones that customers used to arrange meetings with the girls. The customers were then told which hotel to visit but not the room number, allowing the members of the conspiracy to observe the customer and ensure he was not an undercover detective.
U.S. Attorney Neil H. MacBride stated, ‘Joshua Dumas was a leader in a prostitution ring that profited from selling the bodies of young girls. He’s facing at least 20 years in prison for these vile crimes, and we hope other pimps are getting the message that sex trafficking children is not good for business.’
Attorney General Kenneth Cuccinelli added, ‘Dumas recruited, intimidated, and exploited these young girls, selling these children into a life of sexual slavery, keeping them drugged to make them compliant, and making money off it. We will do everything in our power to stop sex traffickers like Dumas and Barcus from victimizing the most vulnerable among us, and we will put them away for as long as we can.’
The case is part of a larger effort to combat human trafficking and protect vulnerable populations. The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the Fairfax County Police Department, and other local law enforcement agencies.
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- Florin Vaduva, Bank and Wire Fraud, Maryland 2021 · Florida
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Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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