Everett, Wash.
Published: Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Everett man charged in Craigslist prostitution case

The man owed thousands in child support to seven women.

By Diana Hefley
Herald Writer

 EVERETT -- An Everett man who owes thousands of dollars in child support payments for his eight kids has been indicted on federal sex trafficking charges connected to an Internet-based prostitution ring.

Jerome Eugene Todd, 28, is under investigation for allegedly recruiting two women to work as prostitutes and using violence and intimidation to control them, according to court documents.

Federal prosecutors say he rented Lynnwood motel rooms for the women to work out of, bought them lingerie and took the money they earned selling sex. He and another woman allegedly used the popular Web site Craigslist to advertise the business.

Todd may have used some of the profits to make back child support payments. He owes more than $70,000 to seven different women for his kids, all under the age of 7, according to court records filed in Snohomish County Superior Court. Records show that Todd made payments during the months he allegedly ran the prostitution ring. Some of those payments were as little as $5.

Two women who allegedly worked for Todd believe he may have earned up to $300,000 during the past two years, according to an Everett police search warrant filed in October.

Todd was indicted last week for an alleged conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking, two counts of sex trafficking and interstate transportation in furtherance of prostitution. He faces up to life in prison. He pleaded not guilty to the charges Monday in U.S. District Court in Seattle.

Federal sex trafficking statutes are fairly new and are aimed at those people who use violence and threats to engage in prostitution, Assistant U.S. Attorney Ye-Ting Woo.

"The government sees it as having aspects of modern-day slavery," she said. "It's not uncommon for women to be engaged in intimate relationships with the defendants and groomed in a sense to work for them. If they refuse, they are assaulted or threatened."

Todd came to the attention of Everett police detectives in March after a woman reported seeing her daughter's picture on Craigslist along with an advertisement for prostitution. The mother said her daughter was being "pimped out" and that the man assaulted her daughter and refused to let her visit her family, according to the search warrant.

In July, police heard from another concerned mother who told them her daughter was being held against her will in a south Everett apartment. Everett detectives found the woman, who told them Todd bought her for $250 and she worked for him as a prostitute. She gave him all the money she made, police wrote in the search warrant.

Prosecutors allege Todd took one woman to Las Vegas to work as a prostitute.

Todd told the women he was watching them and if they didn't obey his rules, he would beat them, prosecutors wrote. One woman told detectives Todd repeatedly hit her and grabbed her throat. The other woman said Todd grabbed her by the hair.

Detectives continue to investigate the possibility that more women worked for Todd. They also are looking for a woman who may have helped him with the business.

Todd also faces additional charges for allegations that he violated the conditions of his federal probation. Todd was convicted of bank fraud in 2004 and has been under federal supervision since then.

Todd also has a warrant for his arrest for failing to make complete child support payments. Todd describes himself as a "private caregiver" who sometimes has trouble collecting from his clients. He doesn't have any employment history. His probation officer noted that Todd often arrives in lavish vehicles driven by different women and always has money on him, according the search warrant.

One woman told detectives Todd stashed his money in boxes at home, afraid if he used a bank the state would seize his earnings to pay off his back child support.



Reporter Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463 or hefley@heraldnet.com.
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