Iowa officials hail conviction in human trafficking case
By Charlotte Eby, Journal Des Moines Bureau | Posted: Thursday, September 18, 2008
DES MOINES -- The state's top prosecutor and a former Iowa lawmaker from Davenport who fought for tough new human trafficking penalties are hailing the first conviction under a 2-year-old state law.
A Crawford County jury last week convicted Leonard Ray Russell, 38, of human trafficking and other charges for recruiting two runaway teens into prostitution and performing at strip clubs around Iowa.
Russell took the girls to Davenport and Denison in Iowa and Rockford, Ill., where they performed at strip clubs and engaged in prostitution over the period of more than a week, according to Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller.
"This is the kind of activity that we fear is out there, and we want to act as quickly and effectively as we can to stop it," Miller said in an interview.
Miller said his office has seen few cases like this, but is concerned that many similar cases may exist involving young runaway girls.
"We suspect that it happens more often than people realize." Miller said.
Former state Sen. Maggie Tinsman of Davenport pushed for the new state human trafficking law even though she faced doubts from colleagues it was happening in Iowa.
She came to the state capital determined to pass new human trafficking penalties after hearing from local law enforcement and clergy that the practice was occurring.
"People were incensed that we didn't have a law," Tinsman said.
Tinsman said she felt Iowa prosecutors should be able to take on human trafficking cases occurring in Iowa rather than having to hand them over to federal prosecutors.
"I said we will not condone, at all, ever, this kind of activity, and so we as a state need to prosecute this, not just refer it to the federal government," Tinsman said.
She said she's hoping attention to the first case will bring awareness to the problem.
"To me, it's only in the bright daylight that we can stamp out this horrible, insidious crime," Tinsman said.
Discussions on human trafficking have typically centered on women from foreign countries being forced into the sex trade, but in this case, the victims were from the Midwest.
The 15-year-old and 16-year-old girls testified they met Russell and a 19-year-old prostitute known to them as "Jazzie" in Omaha after they had run away from a juvenile home in Fremont, Neb.
According to details provided by Miller's office, Jazzie, whose real name is Marcia Ryan, allegedly found the girls and introduced them to Russell. Russell asked the girls if they wanted to go out of town with him, and the group headed for Davenport with Ryan allegedly providing the girls alcohol and marijuana.
The girls were told they would have to work if they wanted to stay with Russell, but weren't told what kind of work. When they arrived in Davenport around 5 a.m., they were taught how to walk around a hotel to negotiate for sex.
In this case, the girls testified they were required to turn over the money they made to Russell and Ryan, who provided them with food, clothing, shelter and transportation.
The girls testified at the trial in Denison they were ashamed of what they were doing but had nowhere to go.
Police recovered one of the girls at Big Earl's Key Club in Denison after an anonymous tip. The other girl was found in Washington, D.C., after being sent there on a bus to meet up with Russell's cousin and learn how to solicit for sex.
Under Iowa's new human trafficking law, it is a crime to harbor or transport a person for commercial sexual activity or any type of forced labor.
Russell faces a possible 10 years in prison for each of two counts of human trafficking when a judge sentences him. The jury also found him guilty of ongoing criminal conduct, a Class B felony that carries a possible 25-year prison term, and two counts of pandering, which each carry a possible 10-year prison term.
State and local law enforcement officials described during the trial how they retraced the route the girls took with Russell, obtaining hotel receipts where they stayed. They also found Internet postings with the girls' photographs offering them as prostitutes.
Marcia Ryan was arrested earlier this month for her alleged part in the crime and is awaiting trial on the same counts Russell faced.
Charlotte Eby can be reached at 515-243-0138 or chareby@aol.com.
A Crawford County jury last week convicted Leonard Ray Russell, 38, of human trafficking and other charges for recruiting two runaway teens into prostitution and performing at strip clubs around Iowa.
Russell took the girls to Davenport and Denison in Iowa and Rockford, Ill., where they performed at strip clubs and engaged in prostitution over the period of more than a week, according to Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller.
"This is the kind of activity that we fear is out there, and we want to act as quickly and effectively as we can to stop it," Miller said in an interview.
Miller said his office has seen few cases like this, but is concerned that many similar cases may exist involving young runaway girls.
"We suspect that it happens more often than people realize." Miller said.
Former state Sen. Maggie Tinsman of Davenport pushed for the new state human trafficking law even though she faced doubts from colleagues it was happening in Iowa.
She came to the state capital determined to pass new human trafficking penalties after hearing from local law enforcement and clergy that the practice was occurring.
"People were incensed that we didn't have a law," Tinsman said.
Tinsman said she felt Iowa prosecutors should be able to take on human trafficking cases occurring in Iowa rather than having to hand them over to federal prosecutors.
"I said we will not condone, at all, ever, this kind of activity, and so we as a state need to prosecute this, not just refer it to the federal government," Tinsman said.
She said she's hoping attention to the first case will bring awareness to the problem.
"To me, it's only in the bright daylight that we can stamp out this horrible, insidious crime," Tinsman said.
Discussions on human trafficking have typically centered on women from foreign countries being forced into the sex trade, but in this case, the victims were from the Midwest.
The 15-year-old and 16-year-old girls testified they met Russell and a 19-year-old prostitute known to them as "Jazzie" in Omaha after they had run away from a juvenile home in Fremont, Neb.
According to details provided by Miller's office, Jazzie, whose real name is Marcia Ryan, allegedly found the girls and introduced them to Russell. Russell asked the girls if they wanted to go out of town with him, and the group headed for Davenport with Ryan allegedly providing the girls alcohol and marijuana.
The girls were told they would have to work if they wanted to stay with Russell, but weren't told what kind of work. When they arrived in Davenport around 5 a.m., they were taught how to walk around a hotel to negotiate for sex.
In this case, the girls testified they were required to turn over the money they made to Russell and Ryan, who provided them with food, clothing, shelter and transportation.
The girls testified at the trial in Denison they were ashamed of what they were doing but had nowhere to go.
Police recovered one of the girls at Big Earl's Key Club in Denison after an anonymous tip. The other girl was found in Washington, D.C., after being sent there on a bus to meet up with Russell's cousin and learn how to solicit for sex.
Under Iowa's new human trafficking law, it is a crime to harbor or transport a person for commercial sexual activity or any type of forced labor.
Russell faces a possible 10 years in prison for each of two counts of human trafficking when a judge sentences him. The jury also found him guilty of ongoing criminal conduct, a Class B felony that carries a possible 25-year prison term, and two counts of pandering, which each carry a possible 10-year prison term.
State and local law enforcement officials described during the trial how they retraced the route the girls took with Russell, obtaining hotel receipts where they stayed. They also found Internet postings with the girls' photographs offering them as prostitutes.
Marcia Ryan was arrested earlier this month for her alleged part in the crime and is awaiting trial on the same counts Russell faced.
Charlotte Eby can be reached at 515-243-0138 or chareby@aol.com.
Story Comments
Read More and Post Comments 0 comment(s)
Please note: The following are comments from readers. In no way do they represent the views of The Sioux City Journal or Lee Enterprises. We will not edit or alter your comments, but we do reserve the right to not post or to remove comments that violate our code of conduct. No comment may contain potentially libelous statements; obscene, explicit or racist language; personal attacks, insults or threats. Terms of Service
