Twenty-nine people have been indicted in a sex-trafficking ring in which Somali gangs in Minneapolis and St. Paul allegedly forced girls under age 14 into prostitution in Minnesota, Tennessee and Ohio, according to an indictment unsealed Monday.
The 24-count indictment, unsealed in U.S. District Court in the Middle District of Tennessee, said one of the gangs’ goals was recruiting females under age 18, including some under age 14, and forcing them into prostitution so the defendants could get money, marijuana or liquor.
The indictment details several instances in which young Somali or African-American girls were taken from place to place and forced to engage in sex acts with multiple people. One girl was under 13 when she first was prostituted. Another girl was 18 when she was raped by multiple men in a hotel room, the indictment said.
John Morton, director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said the case is significant because the girls repeatedly were victimized over several years and transported to many places. The indictment lists incidents involving four victims.
“Human traffickers abuse innocent people, undermine our public safety and often use their illicit proceeds to fund sophisticated criminal organizations,” Morton said. “ICE is committed to bringing these criminals to justice and rescuing their victims from a life in the shadows.”