Sheena Dume, Sex Trafficking of a Minor, Connecticut 2015

A former Greenwich resident has been sentenced to 6 years in federal prison for her role in a sex trafficking operation that exploited five minor victims, prosecutors announced. Sheena Dume, 23, was sentenced to 72 months of imprisonment, followed by 10 years of supervised release, for her involvement in the sex trafficking enterprise headed by Wellington Brown, also known as ‘Jamal.’

According to court documents and statements made in court, Dume assisted Brown in using manipulative tactics to recruit the minor victims, who were lured with promises of significant amounts of money and a fictitious modeling career. The victims were forced to engage in prostitution at various hotels in Stratford and Milford, and were provided with marijuana at times. The victims earned tens of thousands of dollars through prostitution, but received only a small portion of the money.

The investigation, aided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Milford Police Department, Stratford Police Department, and Connecticut State Police, revealed that Brown and Dume covered the expenses of the prostitution operation, including renting hotel rooms, providing transportation and condoms, and buying food for the victims. The victims were also advertised on websites such as backpage.com using pictures taken by Brown.

Brown and Dume were arrested in Maryland on July 30, 2014, and Dume pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor and five counts of sex trafficking of a minor on February 18, 2015. Brown pleaded guilty to the same offenses on March 26, 2015, and was sentenced to 126 months of imprisonment on February 11, 2016.

U.S. Attorney Deirdre M. Daly encouraged victims of trafficking and those who come into contact with potential victims to call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline at 888-373-7888 or send a text message to ‘BEFREE’ to receive immediate help and support.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Novick and Marc Silverman. The Connecticut Department of Children and Families, particularly its Human Anti-Trafficking Response Team, provided significant assistance in the investigation and prosecution of this case.

The National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline is run by the Polaris Project under a federal grant, and hotline operators are trained to identify potential trafficking situations and refer tips to law enforcement immediately.

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