A Kansas City, Kan., man has pleaded guilty to a federal sex trafficking charge, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today. His plea agreement calls for a sentence of 10 years in federal prison.
“Human trafficking is the modern form of slavery,” Grissom said. “As this case demonstrates, federal law provides us with powerful tools to fight against human trafficking.”
Larry Stinson, 27, Kansas City, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of sex trafficking. In his plea, Stinson admitted that in January 2011 the Lenexa Police Department began an investigation into prostitution in Lenexa. Officers called a female identified as “Tatiyanna” who was advertising on a Web page under a section called Kansas City Escort. The woman agreed to meet an officer at a residence in Lenexa and to have sex with him for $300. When she arrived, she was accompanied by two other women. All three women were arrested. They are identified in court documents as AW, CC and TR.
The women told investigators they were forced to work for Stinson as prostitutes. AW said she first met Stinson on Facebook and had consensual sex with him. He told her he would provide her with food, clothing and shelter if she worked for him as a prostitute. She said she was afraid of Stinson. He carried a firearm and she saw him be physically abusive to CC. AW described an incident in which CC tried to run away from Stinson, after which he physically beat her to the point of unconsciousness.
TR said she knew AW from Bonner Springs High School. She said AW contacted her on Facebook. At the time, TR was in need of money to repair her car. AW told her she could make a lot of money in a short time and arranged for her to meet Stinson. While TR worked for Stinson as a prostitute, she was not allowed to keep any of the money she earned.
CC described physical, verbal and psychological abuse she endured at the hands of Stinson. She said she met Stinson in July 2010 and they had a romantic relationship. She and Stinson worked for a female pimp/prostitute who called herself “Baby Doll” and is identified in court papers as TJ. TJ taught Stinson how to use Internet to advertise for prostitution. When CC began working for Stinson as a prostitute, he would split the money with her. She sometimes had sex with as many as 11 “johns” in a day. Even when she tried to make up reasons for not working such as being in pain, Stinson and TJ would require her to work. One time when she tried to run away from him Stinson held a gun to her head and said he would kill her if she tried again. Sometime in October 2010, Stinson left the partnership with TJ and began keeping all CC’s earnings himself. She described several incidents in which he beat her and took her across state lines to engage in prostitution.
The women were told to recruit other women from Facebook. Each time they recruited another female, Stinson would give them a night off work. He said his goal was to have the entire front page of an escort section of a Web page with “his girls.”
Sentencing is set for July 10. In the plea agreement, both parties agree to recommend a sentence of 120 months in federal prison.
Officials at Pittsburg High School are seeking more input from parents before advancing a proposed drug-testing policy for any student participating in extracurricular activities.
