Accused ringleader pleads to sex, drug trafficking | chillicothegazette.com | Chillicothe Gazette

THE GAZETTE STAFF • April 2, 2010

Former Chillicothe resident and U.S. Army soldier Craig Allen Corey II, 23, will be sentenced later this month after pleading guilty Thursday to charges tied to running a sex and drug trafficking business out of his apartment in Millersville, Md.

Corey, who was indicted with three other Chillicothe residents in September, could spend a great deal of time in prison after his April 28 sentencing.

He faces a minimum of 15 years and maximum of life in prison on each of two counts of sex trafficking by force; a minimum of 10 years to a maximum of life on sex trafficking of a minor; a maximum of 20 years in prison on conspiracy to distribute drugs, the distribution of BZP and enticement to travel in interstate commerce to engage in prostitution; a maximum of 10 years on interstate transportation for prostitution; and a maximum of five years on conspiracy to prostitute.

According to Corey's plea documents, from January to April 2009, he conspired with Chillicothe resident Jacob Tyler, 23, and others to operate a prostitution business from his apartment.

The plea documents also say:

In early 2009, Corey frequently traveled from his Army assignment in Fort Meade, Md., to Chillicothe and began recruiting co-conspirators to help attract women for the operation. He also recruited women from Watertown, N.Y., where he previously had been stationed at Fort Drum, and used social networking sites on the Internet to recruit women from other states, such as Virginia.

Corey, Tyler and others offered enticements to travel or transported directly at least 12 women to Maryland. Once in Maryland, the women were photographed unclothed and partially clothed and were given false names.

The photos and the aliases were used in Craigslist ads posted from Corey's laptop offering the individuals for sex acts. Corey maintained a "202" phone number listed in the Craigslist ads for sex customers to call.

Corey and his co-conspirators also used MySpace, YouTube and other Web-based social-networking services to recruit women to serve as prostitutes and to promote their prostitution business.

During the week of April 19, 2009, Corey traveled from Ohio to Maryland with several women, including a 16-year-old he knew was not of the legal age of consent. Between April 20 and April 24, 2009, Corey and his co-conspirators placed at least seven ads for sexual services on Craigslist connected to the girl.

Corey received a percentage of all prostitution earnings, which ranged into thousands of dollars per week. He spent his earnings on electronics, clothes, car accessories and other items.

Corey also used prostitution earnings to buy Ecstasy and BZP, a drug which has a stimulant effect on the central nervous system similar to that of Ecstasy, from a drug dealer in Detroit.

Corey consumed and distributed the drugs, which also included marijuana, Xanax and Percocet, to women in order to motivate them to prostitute. He also provided drugs to sex and drug customers and to associates in Ohio and Maryland.

Two of Corey's co-conspirators, Tyler and fellow Chillicothe resident Robert Harris, 21, brought illegal firearms into the apartment which Corey and others used to further the sex and drug trafficking operation. Corey also admitted being aware that two women were beaten when they refused to continue to provide their prostitution earnings to the co-conspirators. As a result of the beatings, the two women continued to engage in prostitution.

The other Chillicothe residents involved in the case also have pleaded guilty.
Tyler pleaded guilty March 10 to his participation in the operation of a sex and drug trafficking business. Harris and Richard Johnson, 23, pleaded guilty to similar charges. All three defendants are scheduled for sentencing April 30.

The case was investigated by the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force formed in 2007 to discover and rescue victims of human trafficking while identifying and prosecuting offenders.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Accused ringleader pleads to sex, drug trafficking | chillicothegazette.com | Chillicothe Gazette

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