Philadelphia men charged with child sex trafficking
By a Biometrica staffer
Three men from Philadelphia were charged for their roles in a sex trafficking operation that exploited numerous minors from 2016 through 2017 by a federal grand jury, the US Department of Justice said in a statement.
Andre Michael Felts, aka “Dre” and “Plug,” and 60-year old Kevin Michael Francis, aka “Kev,” were each charged with one count of conspiracy to sex traffic a minor and four counts of sex trafficking a minor. Ryan Keel, 39, was charged with conspiracy to sex traffic a minor.
Felts, 32, ran a prostitution ring that recruited and enticed young girls, including minors, to engage in commercial sex acts, the indictment alleges. He harbored the victims at various residences for that purpose; transported and provided the victims to men who purchased the commercial sex acts; and collected a portion of the proceeds.
The indictment was unsealed on Friday in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The charges and allegations contained in an indictment are merely accusations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
This investigation was part of Project Safe Childhood. Launched in May 2006 by the DoJ, Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children online, as well as to identify and rescue victims.