NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Thursday afternoon, Federal prosecutors announced the conviction of a 25-year-old man from Memphis in connection with a sex trafficking case.
According to United States Attorney Kenneth Polite’s office, Timothy Jones, also known as “Lucci”, “King Lucci”, and “Lucci Loco”, was convicted on eight counts including charges of fraud, coercion, and sex trafficking related crimes.
Prosecutors say Jones began recruiting a 17-year-old female from Baton Rouge to work for him as a prostitute. They say Jones set quotas for the number of “dates” per day for the teen. The teen is identified as Minor Victim 1 in Polite’s news release detailing the conviction. She escaped her situation in New Orleans.
Polite’s office also says, in January of 2015, Jones coerced a 16-year-old girl from Memphis to work for him, bringing the girl to Louisville, Kentucky, first and then to New Orleans. On February 11 of that same year, the feds say they arrested Jones with the girl in a downtown New Orleans hotel room.
The feds say Jones required both victims to give him all money received through prostitution and that he advertised their availability using online classified ads as well as by soliciting prostitution dates on Bourbon Street and Chef Menteur Highway.
According to Polite’s statement on the conviction, Jones paid Victim 1 a total of $10 for her work. The feds say Jones beat the victims for disrespecting him or for failing to earn enough money.
Sentencing for Jones is set for June 29. He faces a minimum of 15 years in prison.