LANCASTER, Pa. — The Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office Human Trafficking Task Force arrested 49 people last year through six enforcement operations that targeted those who solicit prostitution and those who solicit minors for sexual activities, according to a report released this week by District Attorney Heather Adams.
The task force, which was launched two years ago, is a collaboration of local, county, state and federal government agencies with private and nonprofit organizations. It aims to successfully investigate and prosecute crimes of human trafficking, ensure that all trafficking victims are identified and receive access to a comprehensive array of supportive services and to foster community awareness through education and outreach, Adams said.
Of the 49 arrests made by the task force last year, 36 suspects were "Johns" who were soliciting prostitution, eight were suspected child predators and five were suspected prostitutes, Adams' report states. In six additional cases last year, services were offered in lieu of prosecution, according to Adams.
The enforcement operations consisted of an online advertisement being created and suspects placing calls to the number listed in the ad, speaking with an undercover detective and agreeing to pay a fee for sexual contact with a prostitute or minor, whose age was discussed. The suspects agreed to meet at pre-arranged locations, Adams said.
The 36 individuals involved in "John" arrests were charged with patronizing prostitutes, a third-degree misdemeanor. The suspects ranged in age from 25 to 62 and traveled from Berks, Chester, Dauphin, Franklin, Lehigh and York Counties in Pennsylvania and Harford County in Maryland.
While a prostitution-related offense is graded as a misdemeanor, Pennsylvania legislation recently amended the current sex trafficking statute making it clear that those who buy sex from a human trafficking victim may be arrested and prosecuted as a sex trafficking offender, a felony of the first degree punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
“Our Task Force has been focusing on reducing the demand for these services since its inception,” Adams said. “By amending the human trafficking statute and increasing the potential penalties for a sex buyer, the legislature has recognized the importance of combating this demand as it is what fuels the traffickers to supply victims.”
Further legislation eliminated the requirement for a victim to identify their third-party trafficker to be considered a victim of human trafficking, and thus eligibility for certain support services.
The eight individuals charged in child predator stings were:
- Zakianny Maldonado, 32, of Ephrata: patronizing a victim of human trafficking, three related felonious charges and one misdemeanor charge. Maldonado pleaded guilty in June and was sentenced to 2 ½ to 6 years in prison on Oct. 3, 2023.
- Brette Giles, 35, of Harrisburg: two counts of patronizing a victim of human trafficking, four related felonious charges and two misdemeanor charges.
- Duane Shope, 68, of New Cumberland: unlawful contact with a minor, two related felonious charges and one misdemeanor charge.
- Benjamin Gill, 24, of Lancaster: two counts of patronizing a victim of human trafficking, four related felonious charges and two misdemeanor charges.
- Warren Binkley, 35, of Lancaster: two counts of statutory sexual assault (11 years older) and four related felonious charges.
- Mervin King, 36, of Narvon: two counts of patronizing a victim of human trafficking, four related felonious charges and two misdemeanor charges.
- Glenn Sager, 56, of Ephrata: two counts of statutory sexual assault (11 years older) and six related felonious charges. Sager pleaded guilty on Dec. 28, 2023, and was sentenced to 2 to 10 years in prison.
- Amir Hossain, 34, of Lancaster: two counts of patronizing a victim of human trafficking, four related felonious charges and two misdemeanor charges.
Assistant District Attorney Fritz Haverstick oversees the prosecution of these cases.
