BUFFALO, N.Y.--U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that a federal grand jury in Buffalo has returned a three-count indictment charging Anthony Thompson, a/k/a Fresh Tone, 34, of Buffalo, NY, with sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion and sex trafficking of a minor. The charges carry a maximum penalty of life in prison, and a fine of $250,000.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Maura K. O'Donnell, who is handling the case, stated that according to the indictment, Thompson is accused of the sex trafficking of two adults and one minor, between November 2012 and September 2014. The indictment further states that the defendant used force, fraud, or coercion to cause the victims to engage in commercial sex acts and would receive financial benefit from the commercial sex acts in which the victims engaged.
The defendant was arraigned on Dec. 19, 2014. Thompson pleaded not guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge H. Kenneth Schroeder and is being held pending a detention hearing on December 29 at 10:30 a.m.
The Indictment is the culmination of an investigation on the part of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James C. Spero and the Cheektowaga Police Department, under the direction of Chief David Zack.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
