TPD Announces 178 Arrests from Large Scale Human Trafficking Investigation

TPD Announces 178 Arrests from Large Scale Human Trafficking Investigation

On November 17th, various law enforcement officials attended a press conference at Tallahassee Police Department Headquarters to mark the conclusion of a large-scale human trafficking investigation conducted by the TPD over the last two years. The in-depth investigation resulted in the arrest of more than 170 people on charges ranging from solicitation of prostitution to human trafficking of a minor. 

The investigation began in November 2018 when TPD investigators saw images of a child were being posted on a website that advertises sex for money. Investigators with TPD’s Special Victims Unit set up an operation to rescue the child to ensure her safety. This was a pivotal point in the operation, called “Stolen Innocence.”

“This investigation is a testament to how diligent our investigators work to enhance the quality of life for everyone in this community, especially our vulnerable population. They worked tirelessly to bring justice to the victim in this case and were able to make an unprecedented number of human trafficking related arrests,” Chief Lawrence Revell said. “I could not be prouder of the steadfast efforts of our investigators and the joint effort with our partners to stop the illegal and dehumanizing practice of human trafficking.” 

The investigation uncovered an enormous amount of electronic evidence that required months to evaluate. The electronic evidence helped investigators further develop the case and determine how many suspects were involved and to what extent. As a result, 72 suspects were charged with misdemeanors and notices to appear, 106 suspects were charged with felonies and 18 face federal charges.

The TPD press release noted that human trafficking of minors involves the child being manipulated or forced into some type of labor or commercial sex act. Every year, millions of individuals are trafficked worldwide. The base of human trafficking are the buyers, those charged with misdemeanors for solicitation of prostitution. Without buyers, human trafficking would not exist in such large numbers. 

“It is difficult to comprehend the depravity of these criminals who prey on the most innocent in our society,” said Kevin Sibley, Homeland Security Investigations Tampa Acting Special Agent in Charge. “Thanks to the collective efforts of the Tallahassee Police Department and HSI special agents, our local communities are significantly safer today as a result of this investigation.”

It is estimated that 199,000 incidents of human trafficking occur within the United States every year, with Florida ranking in the top five states for highest number of reported cases.

TPD was assisted during this investigation by Homeland Security, United States Attorney of the Northern District of Florida, State Attorney for the Second Judicial Circuit, United States Marshals Service, Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Leon County Sheriff’s Office.

20 Responses to "TPD Announces 178 Arrests from Large Scale Human Trafficking Investigation"

  1. Well, I’ll be darn. Someone finally listened to a 911 call or perhaps even an actual victim. Kudos to and much thanks to the caller who reported the crime and or investigator who ‘stumbled upon’ the image accidently and Did The Right Thing. Better late than never. Victims have tried to bring awareness of what perverts and law enforcement have covered up or sat silent on for over 30 years; maybe longer.

    A win win situation. Clean up the streets to protect women, children (and men). What better deterrent is there to keep serial rapists/killers away; who ‘blend’ in too easily in these situations.

    Too many strange missing (and murdered) cases of Women and Children sprouted up almost over night and then suddenly tapered off. Red Flag -> Here’s Your Sign.

    Intruders & Perverts … MEET Multiple Law Enforcement Agencies – Hello & hopefully goodbye

  2. First of all y’all ppl commenting on here don’t know the truth. 1) why did they wait 18 months to do anything which made her 11. 2) where is the 14 yr old that lied about her age and so did the 13 year old. 3) if she felt so hurt why didnt she say sum to ppl at the center she was going too? 4) the mom even lied about her age so how are they getting freaked over? The ones that really didn’t know

  3. I wondered if anything ever became of the 911 call I made a few years ago stating I believe I just witnessed a human trafficking situation. I believe they were listening.

    Thank you law enforcement!

  4. Those here who would be so vile as to compare pedophiles and human-traffickers to law-abiding members of the LGBTQ community, display a painfully obvious ignorance of the ugly reality of child sex-trafficking.

    Reality: Rather than being a perpetrator, “LGBTQ” children & teens are highly vulnerable to the grooming process of human-traffickers. The harassment and bullying many LGBTQ teens experience at school and amongst their peers, coupled with the lack of support that many experience at home, (MANY have been kicked out of their homes onto the streets by their “Christian” families, at 15 & 16 years old, or younger), sets them up for targeting by child sex-traffickers and sexual predators.

    Children and adolescents who are already mistreated, neglected and/or emotionally & physically abused, are the type of minor child most frequently targeted by human-traffickers for sexual exploitation.

    Another News-Flash: the crime of pedophilia is most often perpetrated by men perceived to be heterosexual males by their wives, their girl-friends, their employers, their churches and their good friends and, most significantly, themselves. Although the victims of choice by some may well be minor males, these men most often identify and live their lives as heterosexual. Most do not engage in same-sex sexual relations with consenting, same-sex adult partners. They are married &/ or their more visible sexual relationships are with adult women.

    If anyone here wants to see what a sexual predator looks like, just scan the face of any number of “heterosexual” men you interact with throughout your day. But for a more precise picture, go to the Leon County Jail Website and look through that days mug-shots and their correlating charges. If this is your first time doing so, you will be amazed at how many heterosexual men you will find there who have been charged with a virtual smorgasbord of sex-crimes, albeit a significant number involve “lewd and lascivious conduct with a child under the age of 12.”

    So save your homophobic tangents/agenda for a lesser venue. This article and platform is dealing with the very real, and ongoing tragedy of the sexual exploitation of children by adults within our community. This is not the place to promote your prejudices.

    As Tallahassee is fortunate to have qualified local professionals and organizations who have dedicated themselves to educating our community on the scourge of human-trafficking running rampant in North Florida, and our entire state, I would urge you to seek them out.

    If not, perhaps thou doth protest too much?

    1. A classic dismissal of the realities of the unfettered promotion, forced acceptance, and subsequent results of systemic depravity… followed by the classic tactic of Alinsky projection, toss in some hypocrisy of the “anti-breeder” crowd, then capped off with the classic “if you have a different viewpoint, you must be guilty” blather.

      By the way, your screed is loaded with “prejudice”, so find a mirror if you seek the problem.

  5. Over 800,000 children disappear on a yearly basis… where to exactly..?
    What they need to start doing is publishing the names of the guilty. I would also be ok with bringing back public hangings.

    1. Michael Tyrone Harris, 51, Havana
      Jarred A. Jenkins, 26, Department of Corrections
      Travis Alexander Thomas, 37, Midway
      Jamichael Reshard Cox, 30, Department of Corrections
      Anthony Rivers, 25, Tallahassee
      Momodou Lamin Janneh, 26, Tallahassee
      Stephen Lee Pichard, 53, Tallahassee
      Joshua Ricardo Curry, Tallahassee
      Briahnna Venus Banks, 24, Tallahassee
      Helen Kimberly Anderson, 27, Tallahassee
      O’bryan K Finley, 36, Tallahassee
      Erik Oben Rivers, 47, Tallahassee
      Shuntae Lamar Kirksey, 25, Tallahassee
      Manor Joseph III, 57, Tallahassee
      Daryl Lamar Howard Jr., 34, Tallahassee
      Christopher L. Williams Jr., 24, Tallahassee
      Tony Dickey, 36, Tallahassee
      Jordan Jenkins, 27, Tallahassee
      Trayveontaye Jamarquez Cheesmon, 21, Chattahoochee
      Joseph Austin, Jr., 45, Tallahassee
      Tinara Lashay Spears, 22, Tallahassee
      Essence Katana Blue, 24, Tallahassee
      Maricio Lavant Scott, 30, Tallahassee
      Alfred Bernard Marktorion Simmons, Jr., 22, Tallahassee
      Adavion D Barnes, 23, Tallahassee
      Norphles Washington, 28, Tallahassee
      Malcolm Jerome Carter, 29, Tallahassee
      Phillip Wesley Watkins, 42, Tallahassee
      Samuel Bryant, 39, Tallahassee
      Michael DeWayne Wooten, 42, Tallahassee
      Jontae Jamel Jackson, 39, Tallahassee
      William Glenn Ellis, Jr., 58, Quincy
      Jermaine Miller, 29, Tallahassee
      Brian Omar Johnson, 49, Tallahassee
      Jacob Dewitt Greene, 32, Tallahassee
      Eric Sheldon Daniel, 30, Tallahassee
      Michael Tybireous Jarcord, 51, Tallahassee
      Terrence Faulk, 38, Tallahassee
      Danny Earl Richards, 50, Telogia, Fla.
      Brian Gerald Winsett, 50, Tallahassee
      Dustin Kyle Claypool, 23, Tallahassee
      Tokusei J. Pfeiffer, 44, Tallahassee
      Durell Thomas, 34, Tallahassee
      Houston Wagner IV, 23, Tallahassee
      Martravius Terrell Gilbert, 21, Tallahassee
      John Fitzgerald Coates, 56, Tallahassee
      Ontario D. Lawrence, 45, Tallahassee
      Mark L. Barineau, 58, Tallahassee
      Michael O’Hara Jones II, 34, Tallahassee
      Jamil Reymundo Gardner, 31, Tallahassee
      Henrarles Tankachap Ekokobe, 26, Tallahassee
      Max Oliver Serge Saint Albin, 26, Unknown
      Korenna N. Williams, 23, Tallahassee
      Jamar D. Nicholson, 23, Tallahassee
      Kenneth L. Monroe, 29, Tallahassee
      Anthony Hill, Jr., 31, Tallahassee
      Synara Bouie 37, Quincy
      Anthony B. Logan, 24, Tallahassee
      Latonya Wilburn, 46, Tallahassee
      David Zachariah Brown, Jr., 23, Tallahassee
      George Williams, 43, Perry
      Brittany K. Brown, 30, Tallahassee
      Robert L. Wiggins, Jr., 33, Tallahassee
      Sherley Duvain, 21, Tallahassee
      Brandon Marteze Richardson, 30, Tallahassee
      Steven Garrett, 30, Tallahassee
      Bacari Phillips, 29, Tallahassee
      Jasmine Fields, 20, Tallahassee
      Dwayne Ladarris Blake, 31, Tallahassee
      Robert Lee Williams, Jr., 24, Monticello
      Damion Javier Boone, 25, Tallahassee
      Marq-Twoine D. Lindsey, 26, Tallahassee
      Tavaris Devon Paul, 25, Quincy
      Rasheed Amin Mercer, 38, Tallahassee
      Damonta Tyrell Morris, 26, Tallahassee
      Marco W. Gaines, 29, Quincy
      DeAntwon Leshawn Ray, 29, Quincy
      Kendrick Lorenzo Hayes, 29, Tallahassee
      Victor Molina, 22, Quincy
      Garland Darnell Bullock, 31, Tallahassee
      Maurice D. Towels, 38, Tallahassee
      Dwight C. Cross, Jr., 28, Tallahassee
      Alpha O. Gaines, Jr., 27, Tallahassee
      Bahkarie Floyd Sweeting, 23, Tallahassee
      Kelly Devarius Payne, 32, Tallahassee
      Jacorbin Tharon Simmons, 30, Tallahassee
      Brandon Marshawn Morris, 24, Tallahassee
      Ali F Barber, Jr., 19, Tallahassee
      Ellis Ibiso Jack, 22, Tallahassee
      Charrez Constantion, Jr., 25, Quincy
      Dontavious Perkins, 23, Cario, Ga.
      Dontavious Phillips, 29, Midway
      Frederick Lamar Jones, 31, Havana
      Apollo S. Kenon, Jr., 25, Gretna
      Gerardo Lopez De Nava Cazares, 24, Monticello
      Tevaris James Hogan, Sr., 30, Tallahassee
      Quentiz Allen Barnes, 31, Tallahassee
      Denzel Javon Washington, 23, Tallahassee
      Jerry Lee Moore, Jr., 27, Tallahassee
      Kurtis Antonio Morris, 40, Tallahassee
      Jirard Quinn Kincherlow, 38, Montgomery, Ala.
      Eldred Keith Jennings, 39, Lamont, Fla.
      Keith Antonia Johnson, 50, Tallahassee
      Detroy Lamont Garrett, 42, Tallahassee
      Destin Reche Banks, 32, Tallahassee
      Daniel Alexander Mitchell, 32, Tallahassee
      Author: The Associated Press

      1. Thank you Neal.
        Even though we have seen that big poster board on several local news outlets it is too far away to count as publishing the names or photos of the perps.
        We have witnessed attempts by the disgusting left in England and California to reduce legal penalties for sex with childern. You got the Jeffery Epstein-Bill Clinton situation which we observed leftist media scramble to tone down if not outright cover up.
        Local news outlets not printing the names is not unexpected in our local island of leftists known as Leon County.
        And another thing you just gotta wonder how far TPD’s actual Chief of Police Reese Goad and local Sheriff McNeil would have taken this situation had there not been several other “real and legitimate” law enforcement agencies involved. Probley we would have 160 – 170 perps swept under the rug.
        But congrats never the less to Reese and Walt for taging along with the “real” law enforcement agencies and pretending you would not have instituted a few arrests along with a massive cover up of the reality of what happened to the little girl.
        Lesson of the day: leftist officials can never be trusted to do right on their own. They must be pushed in to it then proudly take credit for what they normally would shy away from.
        Even if some local news finally reluctantly published the names it is too late.

  6. Line them up firing squad style or turn them over to mothers, I would enjoy every minute of the of what I would have in store for these evil evil people. There is a special place in Hell for every last one of them!

  7. First, I want to thank each and everyone who took part in this operation!!!! You risk your safety and your lives to make our home safer and better. You are in our debt. I served in the past year on a jury of a human trafficking case. After 45 years in health care thinking I had seen and heard everything – that case is still in my nightmares!
    Second, all of these people do not just partake in human trafficking – usually drugs, illegal weapons and numerous other crimes are part of the criminals repertoire. I hope each and everyone gets an appropriate punishment. Some of them are a true danger to society and need to go to prison. Unlike many in other progressive states that let them back out on the streets!

  8. That whole Miami thing was kink and perve enough.
    Lets count our blessings a certain un-named to protect the inocent former Mayor was not amoung the 178.

  9. Without jumping to a conclusion about guilt the whole situation makes me feel sick to my stomach. How in the world would so many people play a role in something so horrible?

    1. It began years ago with the Public Indoctrination System removing God, civics, and morals from the classroom. Add it the BLM-supported destruction of the family unit in communities of color, the popularization of the “thug life” mentality, the antithesis of personal responsibility, the transfer from a penal system to a futile “rehabilitation” system, and the forced acceptance of unnatural and unhealthy lifestyle choices.

      Mark my words… you will soon see the acronym modified to the LGBTQ”P” lifestyle.

      1. The P you are talking about call themselves MAPs, they have their own flag and everything. I warned some people I know who are part of the LGBTQ community about them. There are a lot of people in the LGBTQ who are trying to expose the MAPs and fight against them since MAPs are disgusting and should never be considard “marginalized”. I agree with what you are saying, I just wanted to shed some more light on what they call themselves and that it is not the same as LGBTQ, or at least should not be. Whatever consenting adults do is their business, but once a child is involved any adults involved needs to be locked up.

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