DES MOINES, Iowa – U-S Attorney Marc Krickbaum announced Tuesday, that seven defendants charged with sex trafficking and related offenses pleaded guilty during the month of September. The defendants are scheduled to be sentenced in January and February 2019 before United States District Court Chief Judge John A. Jarvey.

According to court documents, Darren O. Coleman, age 29, pleaded guilty to sex trafficking Victim 4 (“V4”) by force, fraud, or coercion. Sarina Ann Williams, age 26, also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of V4. Coleman admitted he recruited V4 in late June of 2017, and sent V4 to Williams, who was in South Dakota at the time. Williams, at Coleman’s direction, advertised V4 on online escort websites for the purposes of prostitution; harbored V4 in hotel rooms that served out of state customers; and arranged for V4 to engage in commercial sex acts. Coleman admitted he knew V4 was engaging in commercial sex acts as a result of force, threats of force, fraud, and coercion. Coleman monitored V4’s contact and interactions with family and friends. He also verbally threatened V4 and others, to intimidate V4.

Coleman admitted he fraudulently promised V4 substantial money and things of value of which V4 never received. Coleman also pleaded guilty to coercing and enticing Victim 1 (“V1”) to cross a state line for purposes of prostitution. Stephen Kalu Cobb, age 27, pleaded guilty to sex trafficking V1 by force, fraud, or coercion. Sarina Williams pleaded guilty to transporting V1 across a state line for purposes of prostitution. According to Cobb’s plea agreement, Coleman threatened V1 with physical violence in March 2017 after V1 found and disposed of a firearm Coleman had purchased. V1 then engaged in commercial sex acts due to threats of violence from Coleman.

Cobb also physically assaulted V1, threatened her with violence, and verbally demeaned and insulted V1 to cause V1 to engage in commercial sex acts. Cobb transported V1 to different locations in Des Moines to engage in commercial sex acts, and received money from those sex acts. Cobb admitted to splitting the money he obtained from the trafficking of V1 with Coleman and Mark Phillip Carter II, as they arranged for the commercial sex acts and communicated the places and locations for the commercial sex acts to Cobb. Mark Phillip Carter II, age 26, admitted to advertising V1 on online escort websites, in addition to other individuals.

Carter entered a plea of guilty to sex trafficking a minor. According to the plea document, between May and July 2017, Carter recruited and enticed a minor victim to engage in commercial sex acts. He advertised the minor—who was 16 years old at the time—on online escort websites, and transported the minor to motels and other locations in the Southern District of Iowa, knowing the minor victim would engage in commercial sex acts at those locations. Carter received money from those sex acts.

Furthermore, Cater admitted to possessing a firearm in July 2017, and the minor victim knew he had a firearm. Carter also admitted to advertising two additional individuals, Victim 2 and Victim 3 (“V3”), on online escort websites for the purpose of prostitution. Carter additionally was charged with conspiring with three other individuals to commit the crime of sex trafficking V3; according to his plea agreement, that charge and others will be dismissed at the time of sentencing.

Julyen Xavier Singleton, age 21, admitted to using a facility of interstate commerce—in this case, Facebook—to promote prostitution. Singleton admitted that, in late June 2017, he contacted V3 on Facebook and solicited V3 to come to Des Moines to engage in prostitution. He then provided V3 to another individual for the purpose of advertising V3 on online escort websites, arranging for V3 to engage in commercial sex acts, and transporting V3 to commercial sex acts. Singleton thereafter received proceeds from those sex acts.

Ronzell Montez Williams, age 26, and Breeanna Lynae Brown, age 26, entered guilty pleas to conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking V3 by force, fraud, or coercion. According to their plea agreements, Carter left V3 with Ronzell Williams in late June 2017. Brown then obtained V3 and took her to her home. Both Brown and Williams transported V3 to engage in commercial sex acts. Williams admitted Brown told V3 she could perform commercial sex acts as a way to get enough money to leave Des Moines in order to fraudulently induce V3 to continue to perform commercial sex acts for Brown’s financial benefit.

Coleman and Cobb are subject to a fifteen-year mandatory minimum term of imprisonment for sex trafficking up to life imprisonment. Carter is subject to a ten-year mandatory minimum term of imprisonment for sex trafficking a minor, up to life imprisonment. Sarina Williams, Ronzell Williams, and Brown, for their pleas to conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking, are subject to a maximum term of imprisonment of life. Singleton is subject to up to five years in prison for using a facility of interstate commerce to promote prostitution.

The case was investigated by the Des Moines Police Department, Vice and Narcotics Control Section. Analytical support was provided by the Iowa Division of Intelligence and Fusion Center, Department of Public Safety, as well as the Mid-States Organized Crime Information Center. The Polk County Attorney’s Office assisted with the prosecution. The case is being prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.