DES MOINES, IA – On March 23, 2022, Darrius Decnan Redd, 33, of Manchester, was sentenced through federal court to forty-five years in prison for sex trafficking of an adult victim through force, fraud and coercion; five years for facilitating prostitution; and 40 years for the distribution of a controlled substance to a user under the age of 21. Sentences must be complied with (i. e. at the same time). A jury unanimously convicted Redd of those crimes in September 2021.
According to evidence presented at the four-and-a-half-day trial and court documents filed for sentencing, Redd used deceptive and coercive tactics as well as physical force to force the victim to engage in sex acts in exchange for money. Redd withheld all of the victim’s sexual acts. Redd trafficked the victim in Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, Clive and surrounding spaces in March 2020. Redd also provided the victim with a controlled substance and posted ads for paid sex acts with the victim and other women on an escort website.
Redd’s sex trafficking activities were limited to one single victim. Evidence at trial indicated that Redd had trafficked or attempted to manipulate several women. Recruiting women for sex trafficking, Redd, among other things, gave them drugs, made video recordings of women engaging in sex acts to use as blackmail, lied to women about his intentions, and told women they owed money to him or others.
In sentencing, the U. S. District Court judge is sentencing. USA Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger ruled that, in committing his crimes, Redd raped two women. In addition, he discovered that Redd had physically restrained those women and kidnapped them against their will. He also noted that Redd did not express any regrets. for his movements and lied when testifying at trial.
U. S. Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This investigation was conducted through the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, the Clive Police Department, the University of Iowa Police Department, the Iowa City Police Department, the Manchester Police Department, the Iowa Department of Correctional Services, and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Control. The Des Moines Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation participated in the trial presentation. Assistant U. S. Attorneys Amy L. Jennings and Kyle J. Essley, along with former Assistant U. S. Attorney Virginia Bruner, continued the case with the assistance of victim witness specialist Charlotte Kovacs.
Human trafficking is a crime that involves the exploitation of other young people under the age of 18 for advertising purposes; exploitation of adults for advertising purposes through the use of force, fraud or coercion; and the exploitation of any individual for forced labor. Human trafficking does not require the transportation of Americans across state lines, or that someone be physically restrained. Signs that someone is being trafficked can come with excessively long working hours, unexplained gifts, physical injuries, substance abuse issues, running away from home, isolation from others, or the fact that no one in her life controls her or keep a close eye on her. Victims with specific threats of being trafficked are those with criminal histories, histories of physical or sexual abuse, questionable legal status, and addictions to controlled substances. Persons who acquire sexual facilities from minors or persons who are otherwise exploited for advertising are also subject to prosecution for sex trafficking under federal law, if they knew or recklessly ignored the fact that they were under 18 years of age, or that they force, fraud or coercion has been used.
Anyone who suspects that human trafficking is ongoing, is a minor engaging in paid sex acts, or any user forced into prostitution or work, should call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
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