5/6/2015 – OKC, OK — The proprietors of an alleged high end brothel located across the street from million dollar homes in the gated Rose Creek addition have been criminally charged in Oklahoma County. Additionally, the names of other individuals found inside the alleged brothel at the time of the police sting have been released.

JohnTV was the first to break the news of the undercover bust that dismantled Claire’s Red Door massage back in March.

At the time of the initial arrests, JohnTV didn’t realize this location was the infamous metro brothel known in whispered voices as “The Red Door.” However, that fact very quickly became apparent after several underground forums dedicated to promoting prostitution began referencing JohnTV’s and other local media coverage.

According to court documents, on February 25 at around 5 p.m., undercover Oklahoma City Vice officers made an appointment for a massage at the business, located at 17334 N. May Ave., Suite B., after being tipped off that organized prostitution might be occurring there.

Court records note that the establishment, while in a brand new upscale business park, had no signage of any kind identifying what type of business was being conducted there — just a plain red door (see photo below)…

17334 N. May Ave. Suite B, Location of alleged brothel.

The undercover officer alleged that after knocking on the business’s locked door, he was greeted by the proprietor, a woman later identified as 47-year-old Penny Melton (aka, Penny Ann Rutter, Penny Ann Bates).

Penny Bates/Rutter/Melton Mugshot for operating a brothel. 2015

The undercover officer was taken into a room inside the business where he met 22-year-old Skyler Carol Henderson.

Skyler Henderson Prostitution Mugshot. 2015

According to a probable cause affidavit, while massaging the undercover officer, Henderson solicited him with an offer of oral sex in exchange for $200.

At that time, Henderson and Melton were placed under arrest.

Henderson was booked into jail on a complaint of offering to engage in an act of prostitution. Melton was booked into jail on a complaint of maintaining a house of prostitution.

Henderson was released after posting a $500 bond. Melton was released after posting a $2,000 bond.

Just yesterday, three months after the sting, both Henderson and Melton were officially criminally charged in Oklahoma County as a result of the February raid.

Henderson was charged with “offering to engage in an act of prostitution.” Melton was charged with maintaining a house of prostitution. Both charges are considered misdemeanor crimes.

Additionally, Melton was also criminally charged in a separate case with another count of maintaining a house of prostitution with an “offense date” of April 15 (maybe she was offering some income tax deadline ‘relief’). JohnTV will provide additional details on Melton’s April offense in a separate article.

Melton’s charges list her current home address as 609 SE 6th in Midwest City. A quick internet search of Google Maps and the Oklahoma County Assessors website indicate that is not a valid address. Previous confirmed addresses for Melton include; $400,000 home in the 5300 block of NW 124th in Oklahoma City, a $500,000 residence in Arcadia and a $260,000 home in Cleveland County. All three homes were eventually foreclosed on by banks.

Henderson lists her address in the 2100 block of SW 67th St. in Oklahoma City.

As JohnTV originally reported, Melton previously ran a retail kiosk at Quail Springs Mall in NW OKC.

Penny Melton at her Quail Springs Mall kiosk in 2011.

Not known to JohnTV in our original coverage of the Red Door bust was the identities of any other individuals that may have been inside the business when Henderson and Melton were arrested.

According to police records; 21-year-old Carmela Escobar, 23-year-old Monica Escobar, 31-year-old Christie Lee Mitchell, 52-year-old Trejo Maximino, and 47-year-old Jason Ross Oldham were all inside the business at the time of the arrests. Except for Carmela, all are listed as “involved persons” in the official police report. *No criminal allegations/charges have been made against those individuals who were not placed under arrest. They were simply inside a well-known brothel!

Carmela Escobar was arrested for performing commercial massage without a license and released at the scene. Carmela listed a home address as an apartment in Oklahoma City and her employer as Red Door Massage. Monica Escobar also listed her address as an apartment in Oklahoma City and her employer as Red Door Massage. Mitchell listed her address in Oklahoma City and her profession as a graphic designer. Maximino listed his address in Edmond and his profession as “custom homes/pools.” Oldham listed his address in Edmond and his employer as NCS Health Care.

No court or police documents located by JohnTV indicate that any form of forced prostitution or human trafficking was taking place.

Claire’s Red Door was promoted primarily through word-of-mouth, Twitter (@melanie27837113 and @ladyawaitsyou) and postings to Internet sites like Backpage.com and a popular forum dedicated to promoting prostitution.

It was most likely the Red Door’s frequent Internet posts that put them on law enforcement’s radar.

Below is one of the Red Door’s Backpage.com advertisements (click for larger version)…

Below is a post to a pro-prostitution forum just two days before police raided the establishment (click for larger version)…

This post was posted just hours before the owner’s arrest (click for larger version)…

Here is an example of the tweets sent out (see bottom of this article for more examples)…

‘Claire’ (aka Penny Melton), had a habit of identifying herself in postings as a “licensed and trained nurse.”

A quick search of the Oklahoma Board of Nursing does indeed reveal a Penny Ann Bates (Melton’s former name) was a LPN back in 1997. Melton/Bates’ license currently shows a status of “Lapsed.”

Claire’s Red Door is a perfect example of not only a well organized and very public criminal prostitution organization, but also the boldness exhibited by such organizations when the pimps know good and well the Oklahoma County District Attorney’s office takes a hug-a-thug mentality when it comes to organized prostitution.

Recent head shakingly light sentences for Edmond pimps have only emboldened criminals who know if arrested are only facing probation and small fines.

Just last month, University of Central Oklahoma senior Ali Hussain Al-Yousuf pleaded guilty to maintaining a house of prostitution AND aiding and abetting prostitution. Al-Yousuf only made a single court appearance before Oklahoma County DA David Prater’s office agreed to give this Edmond pimp a sweetheart deal of probation, no conviction, an expungeable record and a $500 fine. DA Prater considers that ‘justice’ for a man who was selling his young girlfriend while their 7-month old baby and his girlfriend’s teen sister were in their apartment while ‘Johns’ came and went.

In 2014 Joshua Ray Hudson admitted to the human sex trafficking of a very pregnant 16-year-old girl out of an Edmond motel. DA Prater’s office agreed to allow Hudson to withdraw his guilty plea to human trafficking and instead plead guilty to computer crimes and given probation only and an expungeable record.

Given DA Prater’s apparent soft spot for pimps and human sex traffickers, Melton and Henderson will most likely face nothing more than one to five years probation, an expungeable record and small fines.

JohnTV will continue to follow this case.

Additional Information:

This forum thread contains postings from Claire’s Red Door just hours before they were busted by police (click for larger version)…

The following is the Red Door’s Twitter feed. You’ll notice the last tweet was the day before the police raid…

5/7/2015 – Tulsa, OK — A University of Central Oklahoma senior who recently pleaded guilty to operating a brothel out of his Edmond apartment has reportedly been re-arrested and is being detained for possible deportation.

As you will recall, JohnTV was the first to break the story of 24-year-old Ali Hussain Al-Yousuf’s arrest in January after undercover Oklahoma City Vice officers responded to an online prostitution ad and were directed to Al-Yousuf’s apartment.

Once there, the undercover officer was greeted by Al-Yousuf’s girlfriend, 20-year-old Rachel Lauren Herrera, and taken into the apartment’s only bedroom. Herrera then allegedly took off all her clothing, removed a condom from a dresser drawer and collected $150 from the undercover officer.

Rachel Herrera in her apartment as she appears on social media.

The five interesting facts from this case;

1. Sitting in the living room when the undercover officer was greeted by Herrera was Herrera’s 16-year-old sister and Herrera’s seven-month-old daughter.
2. Al-Yousuf was later found to have been hiding in the kitchen’s pantry closet up until the point the undercover officer and backup officers identified themselves.
3. Despite Herrera answering the undercover officer’s initial phone call, meeting him at the door, leading him to the bedroom, getting undressed and collecting his money, she was not taken into custody at the scene. In fact, it was more than two months later before an arrest warrant was even issued for her. However, Al-Yousuf, was taken into custody immediately.
4. Neither Al-Yousuf nor Herrera were charged with felony computer crimes (even though EVERY OTHER Internet related act of prostitution suspect is) and neither were charged with child endangerment or contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
5. Despite Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater’s professed zero tolerance for pimps – and Al-Yousuf’s guilty plea – Al-Yousuf was only sentenced to two years probation, no permanent criminal record and a small fine.

Rachel Herrera, Daughter, and Ali Al-Yousuf as posted publicly on social media.

When Al-Yousuf was arrested, he was listed as an industrial safety technology/technician major at UCO and set to graduate this year (according to Al-Yousuf’s now deleted LinkedIn profile).

Satirical poster by JohnTV of Ali Al Yousuf pimping related charges.

Almost two and a half months later, Al-Yousuf was officially criminally charged with misdemeanor maintaining a house of prostitution and aiding and abetting prostitution. At the time of Al-Yousuf’s plea deal JohnTV wondered out loud as to why he was given so many breaks by prosecutors.

Well, now we think we know why. Not only does the Oklahoma County DA’s office have a soft spot for pimps, but they apparently have a weakness for not wanting to see pimps deported back to their country of origin (in this case, most likely, Saudi Arabia).

A few days ago JohnTV received a tip that Al-Yousuf had been arrested by the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office on a federal hold for ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and was being held without bond.

JohnTV made some calls, and sure enough, on April 30 at around 5 p.m., Al-Yousuf was indeed taken into custody.

JohnTV made some additional calls and inquiries and was told by an individual close to Al-Yousuf’s prosecution that Al-Yousuf’s immigration status was indeed a contributing factor as to why he was treated with such kid gloves. In fact, the DA’s office was apparently made aware that if Al-Yousuf received a conviction (as opposed to the deferred he got) that it would almost assure his deportation.

Fortunately, at least for now, it appears federal immigration doesn’t take the same hug-a-thug mentality the Oklahoma County DA’s office does.

JohnTV spoke with a representative of the Tulsa County Detention Center and they were unable to confirm any additional information other than, “since he’s here on a federal hold for ICE, there is a good chance he faces the real possibility of deportation.”

I know what some of you bleeding heart liberals are thinking…. “But what about the poor prostitute girlfriend and their seven month old child? You can’t deport her pimp boyfriend. Herrera has to be torn apart at the thought of loosing her pimp with a heart of gold….”

Yeah, not so fast…. Rachel posted this photo just a few hours ago publicly on her social media account….

Rachel Herrera as posted publicly on social media.

I’d say she’s ‘perked up’ since Al-Yousuf’s arrest and appears to be less than all broken up about it.

The pic above doesn’t look that much different from this pic (left) that was posted just three days before her pimp’s boyfriend’s arrest.

As for Herrera’s legal woes… She is charged with one misdemeanor count of offering to engage in prostitution. That in itself is a huge act of prosecutorial discretion in her favor. In reality she avoided arrest at the scene, avoided having DHS come and take her child, and then avoided charges of child endangerment and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Not to mention that for years now, every individual arrested for an Internet related act of prostitution is charged with felony computer crimes (but not hot little Edmond girls apparently). And the favors didn’t stop there. Anyone familiar with the Oklahoma County court system knows that if you post bail after your arrest, there is little chance you will be granted a tax payer funded public defender (the thought process being – if you can afford to be out on bail, then you can afford to make payments to a lawyer). Well, according to court records, Herrera posted bond through a bondsman and immediately was allowed to apply for a free public defender. Now the record doesn’t show whether or not she has been granted a free lawyer – but when it does, we will let you know.

According to Herrera’s online postings, she should be able to pay to for her own attorney and is currently employed by ULTA as a ‘beauty advisor.’

Herrera could always sell her designer bags and jewelry to pay for her own lawyer…. But why do that when we have a court system that apparently hands them out like candy…

Herrera is next scheduled to appear in court on May 21.

This probably explains why Al-YouSuf didn’t go the public defender route and instead hired Marco Palumbo (aka, ‘the California Switch Blade’ – don’t ask, it makes our head hurt). Had Al-Yousuf gone the free lawyer route, he most assuredly would not have been able to get his case over in a single appearance and thus lessen the chance of federal immigration intervention.

Kinda makes you wonder how the feds were tipped off to Al-Yousuf’s pimping activities doesn’t it? Hmmm, JohnTV wouldn’t know anything about that.

It goes without saying, we will be following up on this case.

Rachel Herrera and Ali Al-Yousuf as they appear publicly on social media.

5/6/2014 – OKC, OK — A Norman daycare teacher and mother of three, that worked nights as an Internet prostitute, has been convicted and sentenced to prison for her role in robbing and shooting a ‘John’ in far south Oklahoma City. Surprisingly, she writes to the judge to thank him for giving her an opportunity to “better myself for my children.”

As JohnTV previously reported, Kassady Lesiter, 26, was arrested back in June of last year.

According to court records, in the early morning hours of June 27, 2014, James Garcia, 34 (who is not happy he’s named on this website), was perusing the prostitution ads on Backpage.com when he came across an ad posted by Lesiter (see below, click for larger version)…

Kassady Lesiter Backpage.com ad tied to robbery shooting

Garcia then contacted Lesiter and agreed to “an hour or two session” for $200 and gave her directions to his home in the 700 block of SW 104th Place, in Oklahoma City (Cleveland County).

Around 1:00 a.m. Lesiter arrived in a truck that was occupied by two other white males. One of those men was later identified as 28-year-old Christopher Adam Banschbach – a previously convicted violent felon.

Lesiter entered Garcia’s home and after Garcia locked the front door the two went to Garcia’s bedroom. Garcia reportedly gave Lesiter $200, both of them removed their clothes and Lesiter began performing oral sex on Garcia “for about five minutes.”

Apparently while all of this was going on, Lesiter’s cell phone was ringing repeatedly.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door and Lesiter, still naked, left Garcia’s room and unlocked and opened the front door. As this was happening, Garcia was reportedly putting his pants on and placed a knife in his back pocket because he became concerned for his safety.

Banschbach, wearing plain clothes, entered Garcia’s bedroom brandishing a handgun and identifying himself as a police officer. Lesiter also re-enters the bedroom to retrieve her clothing. Banschbach tells Garcia this is a police sting, to put his hands on the wall and asks Garcia if he has any weapons. Banschbach then takes an additional $200, Garcia’s pocket knife and his cell phone.

At this point a second (and yet to be identified) white male enters the residence and starts going through things.

Garcia, realizing this is a robbery and not a police sting (duh!) begins arguing with the two males. Banschbach then fires a single shot from his pistol – striking Garcia in the forearm and abdomen. All three assailants flee the house as Garcia reportedly chases them into his front yard, gets a basic description of their vehicle and calls police.

Apparently this entire time, Garcia had a roommate who was home and remained in his own bedroom without calling police (yeah, with friends like that, who needs enemies!).

When police arrived, Garcia was able to show them Lesiter’s Backpage ad which contained very recognizable photos of her and her distinctive tattoos.

Copies of Lesiter’s photos were posted online and given to local news media outlets who reported that police were trying to identify her (see below)…

OCPD Facebook Post regarding a robbery/shooting suspect.

According to police, several people recognized Lesiter’s photos as a woman they knew as a daycare teacher working at Kids Choice Child Care in Norman. Police were also pointed to Lesiter’s (still) publicly accessible Facebook account.

Kassady Lesiter daycare job photo from her Facebook.

Norman police located Lesiter hiding out at the Super 8 motel on I-35 after a tip came in to 911. When confronted, Lesiter admitted she was the person featured on the news and that she knew Banschbach had a gun and that she also knew there was the possibility Garcia would be robbed. Lesiter claimed however that she thought if she had sex with Garcia and collected the $200 that Banschbach might not go ahead with the robbery.

Police were able to track down Banschbach after placing a GPS trace on the phone number used in the Backpage.com advertisement.

On July 1, 2014, Lesiter was formally charged in Cleveland County with felony robbery with a firearm and assault and battery with a deadly weapon. The next day, Banschbach was also charged with the same crimes. The third suspect has apparently never been identified.

Kassady Lesiter Mugshot

By the time Lesiter and Banschbach had been criminally charged, JohnTV had three times reported on their criminal activity (article 1, article 2, article 3), which apparently drew the ire of Lesiter’s husband, Arthur ‘Bud’ Lesiter – as evident in this Facebook private message he sent JohnTV back in December of last year (click for larger version)…

Naturally, JohnTV’s own Video Vigilante Brian Bates responded in his usual non-politically correct way…

There never was a “…followup article” posted. Because, like is often the case, after both ‘Bud’ and Bates ranted back and forth and called each other names like two 12-year olds on the playground, the communications eventually turned to the real issue at hand – as seen in these followup messages…

Lesiter posted the following picture of her three children to her Facebook account just four days before she committed the crimes that would forever change her life…

On March 9, 2015 Lesiter entered a blind plea of guilty and awaited sentencing from a Cleveland County judge. Lesiter faced a minimum of five years in prison and a maximum of life.

Prior to Lesiter’s formal sentencing, ‘Bud’, Lesiter’s aunt and her step father all sent letters to the Judge in hopes of a prison sentence less than life (click for larger image)…

Monday before last, Lesiter stood before Cleveland County Judge Thad Balkman to be formally sentenced for her admitted crimes.

Lesiter’s cooperation, lack of prior criminal history and family support must have weighed heavily in her favor as Judge Balkman sentenced Lesiter to the minimum prison term of five years (with credit for time already served). A sentence JohnTV supports in light of the facts surrounding the entirety of the case.

Click here to see Lesiter’s Oklahoma Department of Corrections status.

Two days after being sentenced to prison, Lesiter sent a handwritten letter to Judge Balkman thanking him for his leniency and promising to use her time behind bars to “..better myself for my children..” You can read Lesiter’s letter below (click for larger image)…

Lesiter is next scheduled to go before the court on Oct. 17, of next year for a review.

JohnTV sincerely hopes that Lesiter is able to re-evaluate her life and her priorities. She will need lots of family support if she is to overcome her addictions and now a very serious criminal and prison record.

JohnTV hopes the detail provided in this article gives additional insight to the reality and destruction prostitution and addiction has on individuals and entire families.

JohnTV will continue to follow Banschbach’s case – which is still ongoing.

Kassady Lesiter Facebook pic.

Kassady Lesiter DOC Mugshot 2015

5/9/2015 – Edmond, OK — A male student and former soccer player with the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond has pleaded guilty to prostituting himself in exchange for a more serious felony charge to be dismissed.

JohnTV was the first to break the story of the arrest of then 21-year-old Bryan Christopher Phillips after it was alleged he had been promoting himself online as a male prostitute.

According to court records, on Oct. 7, of last year, a female undercover Oklahoma City Police officer replied to a suspected ad for male prostitution that was posted to Backpage.com (see ad below).

Ad believed to have been posted by Bryan Phillips

After reportedly texting back and forth, Phillips agreed to meet the undercover officer at Edsel’s Club on S. Meridian Ave. in south Oklahoma City.

Once there, the two chatted it up a bit and Phillips confirmed he charges $200 for both vaginal and oral intercourse, that he brought a condom and that his ‘Jane’ (the undercover female officer) could pay him once they got back to their hotel room.

Phillips was taken into custody as the two left the bar.

Phillips was transported to the Oklahoma County Jail and booked on criminal complaints of offering to engage and computer crimes.

When Phillips was being booked in to jail, he gave his home address as a student housing complex on the campus of the University of Central Oklahoma.

It was almost five months later before formal criminal charges were filed against Phillips.

On Feb. 27, of this year, Phillips was charged with one misdemeanor count of offering to engage in prostitution and one felony count of computer crimes.

Fastforward to last Thursday and Phillips’ case has come to a conclusion.

Satirical poster regarding Bryan Phillips’ prostitution arrest and guilty plea.

Phillips stood before Oklahoma County Judge Glenn Jones as assistant district attorney Erika Gillock announced that the state had reached a plea agreement with Phillips.

In exchange for Phillips’ guilty plea to the misdemeanor prostitution charge, the state agreed to dismiss the more serious felony computer crimes charge.

Phillips was then formally sentenced to three-years of probation, to be supervised by the DA’s office, $100 fine and court costs. Phillips’ sentencing is considered a ‘deferred sentence’ which means in the future this will not be considered a conviction and Phillips can eventually have the opportunity to have his record cleared.

In light of the facts surrounding this case; Phillips has no apparent prior criminal record. Phillips was prostituting of his own free will. Phillips is not alleged to have been involved in the prostitution of any other 3rd party. Phillips was keeping his prostitution “BCD” (Behind Closed Doors). And he was an adult prostituting himself to other consensual adults…. JohnTV agrees with the sentence imposed.

JohnTV readers will recall that in March another male UCO student also pleaded guilty to prostitution related charges. In that case, 24-year-old senior Ali Hussain Al-Yousuf pleaded guilty to being a pimp – more specifically, to one count of maintaining a house of prostitution and one count of aiding and abetting prostitution. Despite running an Edmond brothel and pimping his own 20-year-old girlfriend out of their apartment he actually only received two-years of probation and never faced any felony charges.

The apparent lesson being…. sell yourself you face being a felon, sell someone else’s daughter and its basically just a traffic ticket. Way to go Oklahoma County ‘Justice!’ (insert eye-roll)

Bryan Christopher Phillips’ Probable Cause Affidavit

Bryan Christopher Phillips’ Oklahoma County Jail Booking Information.

5/11/2015 – OKC, OK — An Oklahoma City pimp reaches a plea deal with prosecutors that results in only a four year prison sentence after pleading guilty to the human sex trafficking of a local teen.

JohnTV has several times reported on the worthless piece of garbage that is 26-year-old Kyan Letrail Gilmore. First in 2014 after Gilmore was one of 42 other individuals busted in the FBI’s annual Operation Cross Country nationwide anti-child trafficking effort.

Soon thereafter JohnTV featured Gilmore again after he was formerly charged with human trafficking.

According to court records, on June 19, 2014 at about 8 p.m., then 25-year-old Gilmore drove a 17-year-old female to a motel room in south Oklahoma City for the purpose of prostitution after an undercover officer replied to a Backpage.com ad posted by Gilmore.

The teen girl entered the undercover officer’s hotel room and offered to provide specific sexual services in exchange for $150.

When officers realized the female was under 18 years of age they detained Gilmore in the motel parking lot and then transported him to the Oklahoma County Jail.

Its no secret that pimps and traffickers often have such control over their victims that even when locked away in jail they feel compelled to still be with them – as evident in this social media post by Gilmore’s teen victim proclaiming she was now prostituting herself in order to raise her pimp’s bail.

Gilmore’s victim also posted these social media posts just days before Gilmore’s arrest…

Gilmore and his teen victim can be seen in this video, also posted to social media…

JohnTV most recently reported on Gilmore this past January after he waived his preliminary hearing at the request of prosecutors.

JohnTV was in the courtroom at Gilmore’s prelim and overheard Gilmore’s defense attorney tell him that Oklahoma County Assistant District Attorney Carter Jennings had stated that if Gilmore waived his prelim and pleaded guilty at his next court appearance he would agree to Gilmore only serving six-years in prison, followed by six-years of probation.

On April 1, Gilmore again appeared in court and this time pled guilty to the crime of human sex trafficking.

Assistant District Attorney Dan Gridley represented the Oklahoma County DA’s office and announced that they had reached a plea agreement with Gilmore. In exchange for Gilmore’s guilty plea, Gilmore was sentenced to only four years in prison, followed by another 20-years of probation to be supervised by the Department of Corrections.

UPDATE: Gilmore entered into the DOC system on April 22, 2015 and is scheduled for reals in June of 2018. Gilmore’s first parole hearing is set for Dec. of 2017.

This plea deal apparently also included a separate drug possession and distribution case also in Oklahoma County.

You can read more examples of Oklahoma County giving pimps a slap on the wrist at this link.

JohnTV Editorial Comment:

Its hard to know how supportive JohnTV should be of this plea agreement. At no point do we feel four years of prison is anywhere near enough time for anyone who pleads guilty to the human trafficking of a teenager. However, there is an unmistakable reality that this case would not be a slam dunk if taken to trial. The largest obstacle the prosecution would have to overcome is the fact that Gilmore’s victim has not once actually acted like a victim; Her video recording clearly shows a woman who appears to be acting consensually, her social media posts show she is willing to engage in prostitution even when not under the direct control of her pimp, and there was plenty of evidence that outside of their prostitution activities, Gilmore and his victim were actually engaged in a romantic relationship. Not to mention there was a very real possibility B.D. might not even show up to testify against Gilmore, or worse yet, show up and deny he was involved in her prostitution activities.

In fact B.D. posted this to Gilmore’s social media account the day after he was sentenced to prison…

Kylan Gilmore as he appears publicly on social media.

Oh, and did we forget to mention B.D. was arrested at least twice for prostitution after Gilmore was arrested? On March 27 B.D. was charged in Oklahoma County with offering to engage in prostitution, drug possession and felony computer crimes. A black male that was with B.D. (not Gilmore) was also charged with aiding prostitution, possession of drug proceeds and possession of drugs with intent to distribute.

Personally, we are shocked the DA’s office encouraged Gilmore to waive his preliminary hearing. This could have really backfired for the prosecution. Without a preliminary hearing you don’t have Gilmore’s victim on the record and under oath pointing the finger at Gilmore as her trafficker. Without that record, B.D. could have disappeared, recanted or otherwise refused to cooperate with prosecutors in the future and the state would no longer have a case.

So, in one respect JohnTV supports the fact the DA’s office was able to secure any prison time at all.

However, Gilmore’s conviction and four year prison term has no requirement that he serve at least 85% of his sentence. Meaning he could be released much sooner.

JohnTV will follow Gilmore’s incarceration and let you know when he is released.

5/19/2015 – OKC, OK — JohnTV distributes fliers in an upscale neighborhood; warning residents that an accused madam is renting a home in their addition.

JohnTV has reported several times on alleged madam/pimp Penny Ann Melton (Rutter, Bates) – also known as ‘Claire’ of Claire’s Red Door Massage or The Rose Creek Madam.

Readers will recall that in March JohnTV reported on the details of Melton’s arrest after her massage parlor, Claire’s Red Door, was busted by Oklahoma City Police. Also arrested was one of Melton’s alleged prostitutes, Skyler Henderson, 22. Melton’s massage parlor was located across the street from million dollar homes in the exclusive gated community of Rose Creek.

Melton’s initial arrest was covered widely by local news media. Below is a report by Joleen Chaney with KWTV News9…

Melton, 47, apparently wasn’t about to let a simple prostitution arrest slow her down one bit.

According to police records, just a couple of weeks later, on April 15, police raided another brothel, in a different part of Oklahoma City, and again found evidence that Melton was the proprietor.

Earlier this month, Oklahoma County prosecutors filed two separate criminal cases (case 1, case 2) against Melton for operating houses of prostitution.

Despite evidence outlined in court paperwork that Melton engaged in pandering, aiding and abetting prostitution, felony computer crimes, money laundering and even racketeering, she is currently only facing two misdemeanor charges – which will most likely result in probation and a small fine for Melton.

In response, JohnTV’s own Video Vigilante Brian Bates decided to take matters into his own hands and make Melton’s neighbors aware of her presence, alleged criminal actions and the potential risk she poses.

Bates began going through court and public records, weeding through a laundry list of former homes once occupied by Melton, until he found the $400,000 house she was currently renting in the Remington addition in far NW Oklahoma City.

Bates then designed fliers (see actual flier below) that outlined Melton’s alleged criminal activities and spotlighted Melton’s home at 4229 NW 147th. Bates then distributed approx. 250 fliers to homes in the immediate area of Melton’s by taping them to each door.

The flier distribution was covered by Lisa Monahan with KWTV News9…

This was not the first time Bates had canvassed a neighborhood belonging to a known pimp.

In January of last year, Bates went into another upscale neighborhood to make them aware of the presence of S. Robison Ave. pimp and human trafficker Gregory ‘Pig’ Crawford.

In May of 2012 Bates exposed the Germaine Coulter and Mario Diaz prostitution and human trafficking ring’s home base when he handed out hundreds of fliers in another upscale Edmond neighborhood.

JohnTV will continue to follow this case.

If you know of additional locations where Melton is maintaining a suspected brothel, please contact us!

OKC, OK — In yet another example of Oklahoma County’s reluctance to hold child sex traffickers accountable, a Oklahoma City man, with a violent criminal history, has been given probation by the Oklahoma County District Attorney’s office after pleading guilty to human trafficking related criminal charges involving a minor.

JohnTV first reported on 32-year-old felon Quwan Shamar Harrison back in Oct. of 2013 after he was arrested for pimping out a 17-year-old girl at the Travel Lodge on NW Expressway.

According to court records, Harrison was selling the minor on Backpage.com for $250 when contacted by undercover officers with the Oklahoma City Police Department’s Vice Unit.

Just days after Harrison’s arrest he was formally charged with human trafficking and ordered held on a $100,000 bond – a bond he was somehow able to post three months later.

On June 4, Harrison stood before Oklahoma County Judge Ray Elliot as assistant district attorney Dan Gridley announced the DA’s office had reached a plea agreement with Harrison. In that agreement, Harrison pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of pandering (pimping) and was sentenced to probation and a $50 fine — No prison, no maximum fine and no justice for a ‘man’ who willingly and sexually trafficked a teenage girl.

To add insult to injury, under Oklahoma law, a conviction for the crime of pandering is supposed to result in “…imprisonment in the State Penitentiary for a period of not less than two (2) years nor more than twenty (20) years and by fines as follows: a fine of not less than One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) and not more than Three Thousand Dollars ($3,000.00)…”

Yesterday JohnTV reported that Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater told the Oklahoman that his office has a policy of being lenient to younger adult sex traffickers. Problem is, Harrison was not a ‘younger adult’ when he committed the crime of human trafficking – In fact, Harrison was 32-years-old.

So, there must be some other reason for DA Prater’s hug-a-thug mentality in Harrison’s case. Maybe this was Harrison’s first offense? Hardly….

A police officer friendly to JohnTV says that law enforcement records identify Harrison as a known member of the Hoover Crips – a violent local street gang heavily involved in drug trafficking, pimping, robbery and murder.

According to court records, Harrison had only been out of prison for five months (after serving only six years of a 17-year-sentence) before being arrested for pimping out a teenager.

In 1998, at only the age of 18, Harrison, along with two co-defendnats, was charged in Oklahoma County with possession of a firearm for his part of a driveby shooting.

One year later, Harrison was charged with another driveby shooting, two counts of robbery with a dangerous weapon, and assault with a dangerous weapon. Upon conviction Harrison was sentenced to seven years in prison, followed by probation.

Not one to learn his lesson, in 2006 Harrison was charged and convicted of  drug possession. And, for the simple crime of possession of ecstasy and marijuana, Harrison was sentenced to 10-years in prison – Meaning the DA’s office feels drug possession is more deserving of prison than someone selling your daughter to as many people as they can.

In 2007, Harrison was charged with crimes of shooting with intent to kill (x3), possession of a firearm, and two counts of robbery with a firearm. Upon conviction Harrison was sentenced to six years in prison, followed by probation.

Quwan Harrison’s DOC record. Click for larger image.

Had Harrison not been on probation when he was arrested and charged with the sex trafficking of a teenager, he would have been returned to the streets to prey upon other youth by DA Prater’s office.

Fortunately, Harrison’s probation violations have secured him a place in the Oklahoma Department of Corrections for now.

The list of Oklahoma pimps that owe their freedom to DA Prater’s office is ever growing – as seen in these JohnTV articles.

At what point will Oklahoman’s demand a response from Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater and his office’s legacy of being soft on sexual predators?

JohnTV will continue to cast an unblinking eye upon the district attorney’s office in regard to such matters.

* As with all articles appearing on JohnTV.com, we welcome input, clarification, corrections or opinion by any member of law enforcement (including, but not limited to, the Oklahoma City Police Department, the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics, FBI, OSBI and the Oklahoma County District Attorney’s Office).

The following is a list of individuals who were arrested on prostitution related charges (or who have a history of prostitution charges) during the week of 6/8/2015 – 6/14/2015 according to public records maintained by the Oklahoma County Jail and the Oklahoma City Police Department.

Arrested June 8, 2015

1. Devin Jakarri Barnes, DOB 11/22/1991, Black male, reportedly resides in the 5800 block of Arnold Street located within Tinker Air Force Base.
   Arrested by members of OCPD on a criminal complaints of engaging in an act of lewdness and public indecency.

Arrested June 10, 2015

1. Shawanty Bragg, DOB 9/14/1965, reportedly resides in Del City, OK.
   Arrested by members of OCSO on outstanding Oklahoma County warrants – including a 2004 case for offering to engage in prostitution.

Arrested June 11, 2015

1. Deonte Lamor Jemison, DOB 1/29/1991, Black male, reportedly resides in the 2600 block of West Park Place in OKC, OK.
   Arrested on criminal complaints of failure to appear, illegal drug proceeds, destroying property, and aiding prostitution.
2. Cuihua Li, DOB 3/28/1956, Asian female, reportedly resides in Rowland Heights, CA.
   Arrested on criminal complaints of felony computer crimes and offering to engage.
3. Sarah Lynn Synco, DOB 9/30/1991, White female, reportedly resides in Spencer, OK.
   Arrested by members of OCPD on new charges of engaging in prostitution and felony computer crimes.

Arrested June 12, 2015

1. Vanessa Rail, DOB 8/2/1982, reportedly resides in OKC, OK.
   Arrested by members of the OCSO on a warrant stemming from a 2006 charge of offering to engage in prostitution.
2. Bryona Donjee Xoshil Roberts, DOB 3/23/1994, Black female, reportedly resides in OKC, OK.
   Arrested by members of the OCPD on charges of larceny, felony computer crimes and offering to engage.
3. Demario Allen Davis, DOB 5/19/1987, Black male, reportedly resides in the 3700 Ridgehaven Dr. in OKC, OK.
   Arrested by OCPD on criminal complaints of aiding prostitution, illegal drug proceeds, no driver’s license, no insurance, misc. traffic violations and failure to appear.

Arrested June 13, 2015

1. Reanna McCurley, DOB 11/3/1986, reportedly resides in OKC, OK.
   Arrested by members of the OCPD on warrants stemming from a 2009 criminal charge of offering to engage in an act of prostitution.

6/18/2015 – OKC, OK — A Oklahoma man, with a long and violent criminal past, who previously pleaded guilty in federal court to child sex trafficking is now attempting to withdraw his plea.

JohnTV first reported on 27-year-old William Vontrail Johnson back in June of last year after he was arrested for pimping out a 14-year-old girl in the metro.

In Feb. of this year Johnson pleaded guilty in federal court to child sex trafficking. Specifically, Johnson stated that he “knowingly recruited, enticed, harbored, transported, provided, obtained, or maintained a person who had not attained the age of 18 years … [Johnson] knew that [the minor] would be caused to engage in commercial sex acts …”

Johnson faces a sentence of 10-years to life in a federal prison, plus up to $250,000 in fines.

Johnson’s formal sentencing however has been placed on hold after he indicated, in a letter to the Judge, he wanted to fire his attorney and withdraw his plea because it was coerced.

In response, Johnson was appointed a public defender and a July 7 date was set for a judge to rule on Johnson’s motion to withdraw his guilty plea.

Below is the federal prosecutor’s response to Johnson’s motion…

Johnson was arrested as part of ‘Operation Diamond Cutter,’ a joint effort by the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics (Human Trafficking Unit), Homeland Security and the Oklahoma City Police Vice Unit.

According to court documents, on June 13, 2014, undercover agents responded to a Backpage.com ad for prostitution (see actual ad below) and were directed to the Days Inn near I-44 and May Ave. in Oklahoma City.

The back page.com ad that led to Johnson’s arrest.

After arriving to room 242 at the motel, the undercover officer was met by Johnson’s 14-year-old victim and was directed to place $100 on the counter and to ‘get comfortable’ on a towel on the bed while the female retrieved a condom.

The undercover officer then gave the takedown signal and additional officers began knocking at the door.

Before the officer could open the door for his backup, court records show he got into a scuffle with the child while trying to secure her cell phone. In the scuffle the phone (a flip style phone) broke into two pieces – leaving the officer with the keypad and the child with the screen.

Court records indicate the child was initially reluctant to give investigators any information as to her identity or who was pimping her. It was learned that the child’s street name was ‘Lil Red’ and she referred to Johnson as ‘Daddy.’

Officers were able to locate Johnson nearby and found he had a key to room 242, $800 cash and a cell phone that had texts with the young trafficking victim and even videos of Johnson and possibly other men engaging in sex with her.

In one of the videos Johnson is heard commanding his child victim to exclaim, “Do you like this young pussy” while she engages in sex with him. To which Johnson replies, “That 14 year old pussy, it’s the best.”

Johnson repeatedly orders his victim to call him ‘Daddy’ during sexual intercourse.

Photos of the young trafficking victim found on Johnson’s phone dated back to Dec. of 2013.

Upon search of the motel room, investigators found Johnson’s driver’s license, numerous used condoms in the trash can, several ‘drop phones’, Visa prepaid debit cards, a computer tablet, and drug scales.

Investigators then contacted the juvenile’s grandmother who verified her identify and confirmed that Johnson was known to be in her company and that the young girl was considered an endangered runaway.

Investigator’s also learned that room 242 was secured by a Oklahoma City man with a long criminal history named Stephen S. Cooke.

Johnson was originally charged in Oklahoma County court with human trafficking, two counts of oral sodomy, and rape in the second degree.

Johnson’s county charges were dropped in Nov. of 2014 to make way for federal charges.

The citizens of Oklahoma County should be relieved that this case was dropped by Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater’s office in favor of federal prosecution.

DA Prater has a recent history of allowing admitted child sex traffickers to withdraw their guilty plea, only to find them guilty of lesser crimes and sentencing them to probation only and no permanent record. Had Johnson pleaded guilty in state court and then changed his mind, there is no reason to believe DA Prater’s office would not have simply let him go to prey upon other children.

JohnTV will continue to follow this case.

7/9/2015 — First it was American Express, then Visa, and now MasterCard… The three credit card behemoths have all agreed to stop processing payments for ads placed on Backpage.com’s ‘adult’ section after a public plea from law enforcement – And Backpage.com’s response? They have made their often prostitution and human trafficking related ads free while they implement a credit card workaround.

Backpage.com offers lots of different things for sale, like TV’s, video games, vehicles, etc. But what they are most known for are their hundreds of millions of ads for adult services; escorts, body rubs, strippers, etc. — most of which have been proven to be front for prostitution and human trafficking.

While Backpage.com officially claims to not support or allow ads for illegal activities, they routinely look the other way while pimps and sex traffickers  utilize their site to advertise women and children for sell for sex.

Example of prostitution & human trafficking ads in Oklahoma City.

JohnTV has documented hundreds of cases where pimps and sex traffickers have been busted after advertising unwilling participants for prostitution on Backpage.com.

Below is an actual ad that appeared in the Oklahoma section of Backpage.com that was later revealed to be an advertisement selling a 15-year-old for sex.

Child prostitution ad in Oklahoma.

The financial lifeblood of Backpage is through the fees they charge customers to advertise in the adult section. While most of Backpage.com is free to advertise, the adult section charges $5 to $17 per ad depending on how the ad is setup. And those $5 ads add up to big profits – estimated to be over $9 million per month.

With the popularity of Backpage and the ease of posting an ad, the site has long been the preferred advertising medium for some of this country’s most ruthless adult and child sex traffickers.

It appears all three credit card companies are justifying their decision to block certain Backpage.com payments because their terms of service all include language regarding the prohibition of their cards being used for illegal or brand damaging activities.

But, don’t start celebrating if you think this move is going to cripple the prostitution advertising giant or stop the flow of ads from pimps across the country.

In response Backpage.com has, at least for now, made their adult advertising free. Which may have the exact opposite effect law enforcement intended.

Backpage.com’s lawyers are said to be combing over credit card company policies and the law to try to either force the payment processing companies to honor their card holders purchases or find a grey area in which they can operate.

One way Backpage.com is experimenting with credit card payments is to now allow members to pre-pay for future advertising. This way the credit card companies have no idea if the payments are for adult ads or for other classified advertising.

Regardless, Backpage.com is confident they can find a way for pimps and human traffickers to continue to sell our youth while they themselves make hundreds of millions of dollars facilitating the transaction.

JohnTV will continue to follow this case.

Notable Local Backpage.com Related Stories Covered by JohnTV

1. 6/29/2014 – Hooker arrested for her participation in the robbery and shooting of a OKC ‘John’ – Her day job? Childcare teacher! LINK
2. 1/3/2014 – Dallas pimp posts bold recruitment ad on OKC Backpage. LINK
3. 11/7/2013 – Tulsa pimp sentenced for child sex trafficking. LINK
4. 9/2/2011 – Oklahoma AG joins the fight against Backpage and human trafficking. LINK
5. 6/16/2015 – Another OKC human sex trafficker gets probation in a deal struck by DA Prater’s office. LINK
6. 5/9/2015 – UCO has its own ‘Deuce Bigalow’ as student/soccer player pleads guilty to being a male gigolo. LINK
7. 3/26/2015 – UCO senior pleads guilty to operating a brothel & aiding in the prostitution of his girlfriend; As predicted, goes virtually unpunished. LINK
8. 4/11/2014 – Edmond man who previously pled guilty to sex trafficking pregnant teen given probation. LINK

7/13/2015 – Edmond, OK — A young woman who made local headlines after she and her college student pimp were busted operating a brothel in Edmond, has pleaded guilty and been given probation.

JohnTV was the first to break the story back in January of this year.

According to court records, Rachel Lauren Herrera, 21, was working as a prostitute for her boyfriend, Ali Hussain Al-Yousuf, 24, when both were caught up in a prostitution sting conducted by members of the Oklahoma City Police Department’s Vice Unit and members of the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics (OBN) Human Trafficking Unit.

Al-Yousuf, a senior at the University of Central Oklahoma, was taken into custody at the couple’s upscale Edmond apartment after an undercover officer responded to a prostitution ad posted to Backpage.com.

Herrera was not arrested at the scene, but both she and Al-Yousuf were criminally charged in Oklahoma County court two months later. Al-Yousuf was charged with maintaining a house of prostitution and aiding and abetting prostitution. Herrera was charged with engaging in prostitution.

Rachel Herrera prostitution mugshot.

Disturbing details of the arrest show that when the undercover officer arrived at Al-Yousuf and Herrera’s tiny one-bedroom apartment, the couple’s infant son and Herrera’s 16-year old sister were both sitting in the living room.

Rachel Herrera in her apartment as she appears on social media.

Al-Yousuf pleaded guilty six days after being charged and, as reported by JohnTV, was given an unbelievably lax probationary sentence for operating a brothel and aiding prostitution.

Herrera pleaded guilty last Thursday and was given an equally light sentence.

According to court records, Herrera was given a two-year deferred sentence, 40-hours of community service, Making Better Choices classes (CAP), ordered to obtain a health check, a $500 fine, $400 VCA and to pay all court costs.

Neither Al-Yousuf nor Herrera were charged with felony computer crimes – even though every other prostitution offender in Oklahoma County does.

Hopefully Herrera learned her lesson after her brush with the law. But JohnTV isn’t holding our breath. Just last month Herrera posted this image to her Facebook wall…

Rachel Herrera Facebook posting one month before her guilty plea to prostitution.

Last JohnTV checked, Al-Yousuf was being held by immigration officials in Tulsa and faced possible deportation.

7/14/2015 – OKC, OK — The only woman criminally charged so far as a prostitute in the ‘Claire’s Red Door’ brothel sting has pleaded guilty and been sentenced to probation.

JohnTV was the first to break the news of the undercover bust that dismantled the upscale brothel, located across the street from million dollar homes in the exclusive Rose Creek gated addition, back in February.

One Oklahoma City woman, 22-year-old Skler Carol Henderson, was arrested after she solicited to perform oral sex on an undercover officer in exchange for $200. Henderson was released from custody after posting a $500 bond.

The brothel’s alleged madam, Penny Ann Melton (aka, ‘Claire’), 47, was also taken into custody and later released after posting a $2,000 bond.

17334 N. May Ave. Location of prostitution arrests.

In May, Henderson was formally charged in Oklahoma County court with misdemeanor offering to engage in prostitution. Melton (who also uses the last names Rutter and Bates) was charged with misdemeanor maintaining a house of prostitution.

Last Thursday Henderson appeared before Judge Russell Hall and pleaded guilty.

As part of Henderson’s plea agreement she was sentenced to one-year deferred under DA supervision, 80-hours of community service, ordered to obtain a health check and to pay a $100 fine plus court costs.

No other criminal record for Henderson could be found.

Henderson is now reportedly employed at a local veterinary clinic.

Melton, now facing a second and separate brothel charge, is next scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 13 on both criminal cases.

Sklyer Henderson

Additional Articles Regarding this Case;

1. 3/28/2015 – Former Quail Springs Mall merchant busted for operating a brothel across the street from upscale Rose Creek neighborhood. LINK
2. 5/6/2015 – Charges filed in case of upscale OKC brothel & additional names released; Claire’s Red Door. LINK
3. 5/15/2015 – Accused OKC madam Penny Melton (featured profile). LINK
4. 5/19/2015 – JohnTV puts upscale OKC neighborhood on notice of madam living in their addition. LINK

7/22/2015 – A&E’s highly touted prostitution and human trafficking ‘rescue’ reality show barely lasted longer than its title – 8 Minutes.

After only five episodes A&E has pulled the plug amid harsh criticism and an embarrassingly eye-opening article from Buzzfeed – in which it is alleged the show was nothing more than staged shenanigans, empty promises and the exploitation of women involved in the commercial sex industry.

The Premise: Cop-turned-pastor Kevin Brown and his posse of faith based volunteers seek out prostitutes and human trafficking victims in the Houston area by pretending to be clients. Then, when alone in some sleazy hotel room (along with a slew of purportedly hidden cameras and in some cases a camera crew, sound guy, and the show’s producers), Brown has 8 minutes to try and convince a bewildered sex worker to leave everything behind and start a new life. The “eight minutes” is the alleged maximum amount of time Brown can safely converse with the sex worker before putting his and her personal safety in jeopardy.

Below is a segment promoting the show on Entertainment Tonight…

The Reality: Regardless of how fake the show is alleged to have been, the idea that a perfect stranger (let alone a male) can first lie to a sex worker to get ‘alone’ with her and then convince her to  trust him enough to leave with him in the middle of the night is pretty ludicrous.

Beyond that, Buzzfeed reports that A&E show producers did way more lying than simply pretending to be ‘Johns.’ According to their article, they identified and interviewed several of the women portrayed as prostitutes. What they had to say quickly became the death nail to a show that was already pulling in miserable viewership and lots of controversy.

The women claimed that the reality show’s producers made them false promises that they would help them get off the streets and away from prostitution and even their pimps. Some of the women claim they were promised their identity would be hidden, while others claim producers kept offering them more money if they would agree to have their face shown.

Below is an editorial video by SexWorkerNation…

The deceptions allegedly didn’t end with sex workers. A&E’s audience was also duped into believing many of the women on the show were victims of sex trafficking (forced prostitution). Buzzfeed’s article claims they interviewed five women described as trafficking victims in the show that told them they were never forced to engage in prostitution and did it by choice or out of necessity.

Some of the women in the show claim that the entire confrontation was staged and that they had been contacted by producers and paid to go along with the show’s script.

In one episode a woman’s husband was portrayed as her violent pimp, in another a woman was allegedly falsely depicted as having a sister that was murdered by a pimp and a third claimed she wasn’t even working any longer as a sex worker when the show’s producers contacted her.

Brown, who currently runs a church in Orange County, California, has refused to comment on the show’s cancelation.

A&E’s only comment has been that the show is no longer airing so no comment is necessary. A&E has given no official reason for canceling the show. There were reportedly three additional episodes that had already been produced that will not be aired.

Below is commentary on the show’s cancellation by The Young Turks…

Editorial Comments by Brian Bates:

I was skeptical of this show when I first heard about it many months ago. In fact, some of the same people who were supposedly working on this show have contacted me in the past about a reality show featuring the activism of JohnTV.

In my 20-years of exposing street and forced prostitution in Oklahoma, I have been contacted many times by production companies of all sizes offering large sums of money for my participation in a show.

I was even flown out to California to meet with a room full of people with Creative Arts Agency (CAA) when they wanted to develop a reality show based on my work.

To date, every reality show offer I have received I have declined. Not that I’m opposed to being involved in a reality show, its just that virtually nothing you see on television that is promoted as reality TV is really real.

In every case producers wanted to twist what I do into something that barely even resembled the heart of my activism.

I have never been interested in being a part of a fake, reenacted or scripted show.

If you are watching my videos on YouTube, then you are indeed watching the most real reality show out there – no script, no crew, no security. Just me, my video camera and whatever happens next.

7/29/2015 – Charleston, WV — A ‘John’ who was killed by his own gun at the hand of the prostitute he had procured, and then attempted to strangle, may be a previously unidentified serial killer according to police.

Neal Falls, 45, of Oregon, allegedly responded to an online ad for prostitution posted to Backpage.com on July 18. In reply, Falls was directed to the woman’s Charleston apartment, located behind another residence.

According to the female, almost immediately after Falls arrived, the two got into an altercation.

According to published accounts, “Nearly immediately after [Falls] stepped into [the prostitute’s] apartment, he said ‘live or die’ and a struggle ensued,” Lt. Steve Cooper of the Charleston, West Virginia, police department said. Falls is also reported to have told the woman that he was going to be going to prison for a long time.

During the attack the woman reportedly grabbed a rake to defend herself as Falls was trying to choke her from behind. Falls then laid his gun down so that he could get the rake out of the woman’s hands and continue to strangle her. That is when the woman grabbed Falls’ gun, pointed it blindly over her back and fired it once – killing Falls.

The woman then ran to a neighbor’s and the neighbor called 911.

The female is reported to have suffered multiple minor injuries, including a broken vertebrae and was admitted to the hospital.

After police arrived and began securing the crime scene they realized Falls’ violent outburst may not have been an isolated incident. Inside Falls’ SUV police found numerous disturbing items, including, a machete, shovel, two axes, assorted knives, double-headed ax, bullet proof vest, several sets of handcuffs, bleach, and a list of local prostitutes.

Falls, one of 10 siblings, is reported to have not had contact with his immediate family since his mother died in January.

Investigators feel there is a strong possibility that Falls may be responsible for the disappearance and even murder of other women engaged in prostitution – Some of which were found dismembered.

So far detectives are looking for connections to murders in Ohio and Nevada. Evidence gathered by police shows Falls lived in those areas during the time of other unsolved crimes. All together law enforcement is looking for links into as many nine unsolved disappearances or murders.

The FBI has been called in to aid in the investigation.

The killing of Falls has been ruled self defense.

9/15/2015 – Dallas, TX — A federal judge is sending a clear message to pimps and human traffickers – and the message is that if you sell our teen daughters instead of selling drugs, then you’ll risk very little time in prison for that crime.

JohnTV has previously reported on scumbag pimp Justin Dishon Brathwaite, 27, and how he transported and coerced an Oklahoma City teen into prostituting for him in Texas in 2012.

Brathwaite was indicted in federal court after a prostitution sting identified him as the teen girl’s pimp.

As a result of his federal charges, Brathwaite eventually admitted to knowingly transporting the female from Oklahoma to Texas with the express intent of forcing her to prostitute for his financial gain.

In exchange for his guilty plea, prosecutors agreed not to file additional criminal charges and not to seek more than 10-years in prison, a fine greater than $250,000 and no more than three years of supervised probation upon his release.

On March 3rd of this year the FBI distributed a press release proclaiming victory and stating Brathwaite was looking at a decade behind bars.

Apparently federal Judge Barbara M. G. Lynn doesn’t really see the harm in pimping out our youth and decided a decade behind bars was way too harsh – even though the law gives her every opportunity to keep pimps like Brathwaite off our streets.

According to court documents, on July 15th Brathwaite was sentenced to a mere 24 months in prison (20% of the allowable sentence), one year of supervision upon release, no fine and a $10,000 personal money judgement (as a result of an asset forfeiture).

Justin Dishon Brathwaite PCA

Justin Dishon Brathwaite Pimp Plea

9/21/2015 – OKC, OK — An Oklahoma City woman is facing felony prostitution related charges after undercover officers respond to her online ad for, “the sexiest nude massage ever.” (see ad below)

According to court and public records, 40-year-old Jennifer Maye Langston had at least six ads posted to Backpage.com’s “Oklahoma City Body Rubs” section on the night of her arrest.

Using the name “Jewel,” (also uses the name “Jacki”) and claiming to only be 34, Langston promised discretion and, “…the best body to body…” erotic massage, so customers can “let loose and have fun in my room!”

Members of the Oklahoma City Police Department’s Vice Unit decided to take Langston up on her offer and replied to one of her ads around 9pm on Sept 9th.

Langston directed the undercover officer to her room at the Studio 6 motel near the I-40 and S. Meridian Ave. “motel row” – an area long known for prostitution activities.

Once in Langston’s motel room, the undercover officer undressed and allowed Langston to begin performing a massage.

According to a probable cause affidavit, “During the massage [Langston] offered to oral sex the detective for $100.” Upon solicitation, the naked undercover officer gave the take down signal – we are going to pretend it was, “Guys, give me about another 15 minutes an c’mon in” (just kidding).

Langston was placed under arrest and booked into the Oklahoma County Jail.

The Oklahoma City Police booking information lists Langston’s criminal charges as “offering to engage in prostitution” and computer crimes.

However, the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office listed her charges as more serious “engaging in child prostitution” and computer crimes. (see both records below)

A certificate of probable cause with the Oklahoma County Court Clerk’s office shows no indication of child prostitution – so, at this point, JohnTV assumes that the sheriff’s office made a clerical error.

No formal criminal charges have been filed as of this posting. If eventually filed, the prostitution charge should be a misdemeanor and the computer crime a felony.

Langston has a fairly extensive criminal past that includes guilty pleas in 2005 for prostitution, 2006 for concealing stolen property and possession of meth, Lortab and marijuana. In 2009 Langston was convicted for conspiracy to distribute drugs and meth possession.

Langston was sentenced to 10-years in prison in 2009 – Obviously Langston was released after only serving a small portion of that sentence.

Langston is currently on probation.

9/22/2015 – OKC, OK — A massage parlor near south Oklahoma City’s notorious street prostitution district is targeted by OKC police – resulting in one arrest, after a 58-year-old female masseuse offered an undercover officer a ‘happy ending.’

JohnTV has long been suspicious of the OK Massage Spa ever since they opened in the I-35 Travel Plaza on the northwest corner of SE 44 and S. I-35 – 1317 SE 44th St. to be exact.

OK Massage Spa in the I-35 Travel Plaza (Google Street View)

This location is very near several low rent motels along I-35 known for their persistent presence of drug dealers, women engaged in prostitution, pimps and even instances of human trafficking and violence.

The OK Massage and Spa is also only a few blocks east of the highest concentration of street prostitutes in the metro and the city’s infamous S. Robinson Ave. stroll.

According to court records, on Sept. 1 an undercover officer with the Oklahoma City Vice Unit entered the establishment around 5 p.m. and “requested a 30-minute and paid the posted $40 for the massage.”

The officer was then escorted to a back room where he undressed and proceeded to enjoy his tax-payer funded back rub.

At some point, according to the probable cause affidavit, “the female offered to masterbate the officer.”

The now naked undercover officer gave the takedown signal (that we are going to pretend was, “help, this old lady is touching my junk!”) and additional officers entered the business and placed the woman under arrest.

The masseuse has been identified as Chun Sin Pannell, 58, of San Jose, CA.

Pannell was booked into the Oklahoma County jail on a prostitution complaint and a $500 bond.

No other criminal history for Pannell could be found.

Last Thursday Pannell was formerly charged in Oklahoma County with misdemeanor offering to engage in an act of prostitution.

By law, if convicted, Pannell faces 30-365 days in jail and/or a fine up to $2,500 and between 40-80 hours of community service. The courts are also obligated to “notify the county superintendent of public health of such conviction.”

Because the law and reality rarely line-up in Oklahoma County, Pannell is probably actually only facing a deferred sentence (probation – no conviction) and a tiny fine. Oh yeah, and she’ll probably be under “DA supervised probation” – which simply means she has to pay Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater’s own version of a ‘pimp tax’ ($40/month).

That fact is probably why the owners of the OK Massage and Spa feel no need to lay low or stay off the radar following this most recent bust – as evident in the five high profile ads (complete with video) the business placed on Backpage.com just a week after Pannell’s arrest (see ad below)….

A couple of things…..

First, OK Massage Spa should have been charged with ‘false advertising’ as the ad above clearly states “guaranteed to be even prettier.”

Second, this arrest starts a conversation on a controversial subject… On the one hand you’ve got those that would argue this is a colossal waste of tax dollars – stings involving multiple officers making $60,000+ a year who spend their day getting tax-payer funded massages in hopes of being offered hand-jobs or more from women working behind closed doors of their own free will. Not to mention none of that cost is ever recouped after an arrest and the costs to tax-payers only grows as individuals are booked into jail, provided a public defender and take up time within our court system.

On the other hand you’ve got the reality that many people involved in prostitution are not doing so of their own free will and how is law enforcement to uncover those instances of prostitution without targeting all prostitution? *FYI – JohnTV can’t recall a single case in Oklahoma County of human trafficking that resulted from a massage parlor bust.

If you’ve got the answer, we’d love to hear it.

9/25/2015 – OKC, OK — An Oklahoma City man and woman have been charged with felonies stemming from a prostitution sting back in May.

According to court records, undercover officers with the Oklahoma City Police Department’s Vice Unit were conducting a sting back on May 13.

An undercover officer replied to an online advertisement for prostitution posted on Backpage.com.

The officer was directed to go to room 217 at the Executive Inn, located on the NW Expressway, just west of N. MacArthur Blvd.

The officer arrived around 11 p.m., once inside the motel room the female offered to perform oral sex on him in exchange for $130.

As the woman was being taken into custody and processed at the scene, a male walked into the motel room.

Undercover officers inside the room identified themselves to the male and proceeded to perform a pat search upon him.

During that search officers found a credit card used to purchase online escort ads. The man also had five $100 bills on him – which were promptly seized as criminal proceeds.

The female has since been identified as Kushenda Myesha Mabery, 23, of Oklahoma City.

The male was identified as 36-year-old Jeffrey Allen Gray, also from Oklahoma City.

On July 21, Mabery and Gray were formally criminally charged in Oklahoma County.

Both were charged with felony computer crimes – placing the ads on Backpage.com. And, Mabery was also charged with misdemeanor offering to engage in prostitution.

No word as to why Gray was not also charged with aiding and abetting prostitution.

Mabery’s current bond is set at $5,000.

Gray was recently re-arrested and returned to jail this past Monday.

Mabery and Gray were in custody at the Oklahoma County Jail at the time of this publication.

A new felony charge was filed against Gray yesterday in Oklahoma County. No details on the specific nature of those charges has been released.

No other criminal history for Gray or Mabery could be found.

JohnTV will continue to follow this case.

9/28/2015 – OKC, OK — A New Jersey ‘John’ has pleaded guilty to soliciting Internet prostitution in Oklahoma City and has been sentenced to probation.

Back in Nov. of last year, JohnTV reported on an OKC prostitution sting that resulted in the arrest of at least 20-individuals.

One of those arrested was 33-year-old Jermaine Pinckney out of Bayonne, NJ.

According to court records, on the evening of Nov. 5, Pinckney responded to an ad for prostitution placed on Backpage.com by undercover officers with the OKC Police Department’s Vice Unit and members of the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics Human Trafficking Unit.

Pinckney was directed to room 218 at the Days Inn near I-40 and S. Meridian.

Once there, Pinckney reportedly offered to pay $60 to have the female undercover officer perform oral sex on him.

Pinckney was then taken into custody and transported to the Oklahoma County Jail.

On Jan. 8 of this year, Pinckney was formally charged in Oklahoma County with one misdemeanor count of offering to engage in an act of prostitution.

This past June, Pinckney pleaded guilty to the charge and was sentenced to two years deferred, DA extortion supervision, 20-hours of community service, $200 fine, $300 VCA, and court costs.

According to a Facebook page under Pinckney’s name and matching Pinckney’s hometown, Pinckney works as a longhaul trucker (see image below).

10/1/2015 – Norman, OK — Two Norman sisters are facing felony records after being arrested for engaging in Internet prostitution earlier this month.

Most people will tell you that their is often a special bond that sisters share… They confide in each other, they tease each other, they laugh, they cry and they always know they have each other’s back. And, according to recently filed court paperwork, they also turn tricks together online…

According to court records, on Sept. 15 an investigator with the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics Human Trafficking Unit responded to an ad on Backpage.com posted by a young caucasian woman calling herself “Lilly” and exclaiming,  “…Who wants to come be naughty with me?” (see actual ad at bottom of article)

The OBN undercover officer called the number listed in the ad and spoke to a woman who called herself “Star.”

“Star” directed the undercover officer to room at the Super 8 Motel on West Main in Norman.

The undercover officer arrived around 10:30 p.m. and immediately gave the woman in the room $200 after she agreed to “full sex” and produced a condom.

The undercover officer then gave the take-down signal and other agents arrived to help place the woman into custody. According to public records, members of the Oklahoma City Police Department’s Vice Unit were assisting in this operation.

While processing “Star” at the scene, her identity was revealed as 20-year-old Ashley AnnaMarie Campbell.

Ashley Campbell as you publicly appears on social media.

Also arrested at the scene was Campbell’s 22-year-old sister Kia Kalene Campbell – who was found hiding in the motel room’s bathroom.

Kia Campbell as you publicly appears on social media.

According to investigators, Kia rented the motel room and both Campbells admitted to engaging in prostitution.

Kia’s troubles only got worse when investigators located crystal meth  and cocaine in her purse.

Both Kia and Ashley were transported to the Cleveland County Jail.

You may be asking yourself how two sisters even approach the conversation of prostituting together online.

A quick look at Kia Campbell’s publicly available Facebook timeline may provide a glimpse into how that conversation started just ten days before they were busted… (click for larger version)

After the motel room had been secured, undercover officers in the parking lot noticed two black males approach the motel room and begin knocking on the door.

When the undercover officers approached the men and identified themselves, the men ran away on foot.

One of the men “tried to get into an oncoming vehicle but was taken into custody by the Oklahoma City Police Department Vice Unit and OBN agents.” That man was identified as Sigmund Lamar James, 27.

When officers searched James’ cell phone they found evidence that leads investigators to believe he “was aiding the previously arrested females in prostitution and checking in on the females.”

While inventorying James’ vehicle for impound, investigators located a baggie containing meth residue.

On Tuesday Ashley Campbell was formerly charged in Cleveland County with felony computer crimes and engaging in prostitution.

Ashley’s sister Kia Campbell was charged the same day with engaging in prostitution and felony possession of CDS.

Kia Campbell social media post.

James was charged with obstructing an officer and felony possession of CDS.

Kia has prior criminal cases for petit larceny, contributing to the delinquency of a minor (to include her younger sister Ashley and others), harboring a runaway child, possession of marijuana, obstructing an officer.

James has a laundry list of priors that include domestic abuse, underage alcohol possession, assault and battery, grand larceny, assault and battery with a deadly weapon, possession of firearm while on probation, open container, driving while impaired, DUI, driving under revocation, public drunk, driving without insurance, leaving the scene of an accident, possession of stolen vehicle, and false impersonation.

Both of the Campbell sisters are apparently single mothers. It is unclear if either has full custody of their children.

JohnTV will continue to follow this case.