Milwaukee Man Pleads Guilty to Sex Trafficking of Children

Fargo Man Charged with Sex Trafficking of Children

FARGO, ND – Kurtis William Johnson, 26, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, pleaded guilty to two counts of Sex Trafficking of Children and one count of Conspiracy to Commit Sex Trafficking in a federal court on January 26, 2016. Johnson’s accomplice, Tara Malinda Ridley, also 26, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, pleaded guilty to one count of Interstate Travel in Aid of Prostitution.

The case against Johnson and Ridley came to light after a North Dakota Highway Patrol stop of a rental vehicle driven by Johnson. Inside the vehicle, officers found a woman and a 17-year-old girl who had been transported from Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Bismarck, North Dakota for the purpose of prostitution.

A subsequent investigation revealed that Johnson was provided narcotics by Tyrice Akins in exchange for transporting women and one juvenile to various locations throughout the United States, including Florida, Louisiana, and North Dakota, throughout 2014 and 2015 for the purpose of prostitution.

Tara Ridley facilitated Tyrice Akins’ business enterprise involving prostitution by renting vehicles for Akins that were used by Johnson to transport the women to North Dakota and elsewhere.

Tyrice Akins was indicted in May of 2015 and is currently awaiting trial on April 12, 2016.

The case is being investigated by the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigations and the Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Puhl is prosecuting the case.

The case was prosecuted with the assistance of the North Dakota Human Trafficking Task Force (NDHTTF), which includes regional response teams that consists of federal, state, and local law enforcement and victim service providers working together to identify and rescue human trafficking victims as well as investigate and prosecute human trafficking cases.

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