(CLEVELAND) — Two convicted human traffickers were sentenced this morning to prison in separate cases investigated by the Northeast Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley announced.
“These men capitalized on human suffering, robbing vulnerable women of dignity and self-worth,” Yost said. “I pray that the survivors of these crimes find a path to renewal now that their captors are behind bars.”
“The Northeast Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force, alongside our prosecutors, continues to do exceptional work identifying these predators and dismantling their operations,” O’Malley said. “Because of their efforts, two offenders were held accountable today.”
Darren Lassiter, 41, also known as “King Dinero,” was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 43½ to 49½ years. For more than a decade, Lassiter targeted and controlled four victims through physical and sexual violence, forcing them to engage in commercial sex acts.
His sentencing follows his conviction last month in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, where a jury found Lassiter guilty of 13 felony charges:
- Two counts of trafficking in persons (F1)
- Four counts of compelling prostitution (F3)
- Five counts of promoting prostitution (F4)
- One count of rape with a sexually violent predator specification (F1)
- One count of felonious assault (F2)
The H.E.A.L. Human Trafficking Task Force assisted with the investigation.
In the second case, Chicago resident Andrew Craig, 41, was sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty on April 13 to compelling prostitution (F3), promoting prostitution (F4) and possessing criminal tools (F5).
The task force arrested Craig in September during
Operation Next Door. An undercover operation determined that he advertised and attempted to sell sex encounters. He will be required to register as a Tier II sex offender upon release from prison.
The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office prosecuted both cases.
The Northeast Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force, formed under the Ohio Attorney General’s Organized Crime Investigations Commission, consists of representatives from the Ashtabula County Sheriff's Office, Ashtabula Police Department, Canopy Child Advocacy Center, City of Berea, Cleveland Division of Police, Cleveland Rape Crisis Center, Conneaut Police Department, Cuyahoga County Division of Children and Family Services, Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office, East Cleveland Police Department, Geauga County Sheriff’s Office, Harriet Tubman Movement, Homesafe Inc., Lake County Sheriff’s Office, MetroHealth Police Department, Middleburg Heights Police Department, Newburgh Heights Police Department, North Olmsted Police Department, Solon Police Department, Strongsville Police Department, University Circle Police Department, U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development - Office of Inspector General, Warrensville Heights Police Department, Westlake Police Department and Willoughby Police Department.
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