COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Columbus man and his father are in jail in Ohio and Kentucky, charged with sex-trafficking.
A federal grand jury indicted Keith Arrick Sr., 46, of Ft. Mitchell, Ky., and his son, Keith Arrick Jr., 21, of Columbus on charges that they used threats of force to coerce women – including one minor – into engaging in sex acts in various motels in Columbus between last September and February.
The younger was arrested in Columbus Tuesday and is in the Franklin County Jail, awaiting a Friday morning court appearance. His father is in custody on unrelated charges in Kenton County, Ky., according to the office of U.S. Attorney Carter Stewart.
The six-count indictment charges the Arricks with conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, sex trafficking of a minor and sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion. It also charges Keith Arrick Sr. with two counts of violating the Mann Act, which prohibits interstate transportation for prostitution, for bringing two women to Ohio from Kentucky.
According to court documents, the men brought women to various hotels in the Columbus area “to engage in commercial sex acts for the financial benefit of the defendants.” The indictment accuses the Arricks with recruiting customers by posting photos of the women or others who resembled the women on a website called “backpage.com.”
They told the women how much to charge for the various acts and kept some of the money, providing the women with illegal narcotics, including heroin, prosecutors say. The indictment alleges that the elder Arrick used physical violence and threats to make the victims obey.
The indictment charges both men with conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, a crime punishable by up to life in prison. They are also charged with sex trafficking of a minor, punishable by at least 10 years and as much as life in prison, and two counts of sex trafficking by force fraud or coercion, which is punishable by 15 years to life in prison. A violation of the Mann Act is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Stewart says the investigation was carried out by the Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force, which was formed in 2012, and includes authorities from the Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Powell Police Department, the FBI and the Delaware County Prosecutor’s Office. The Columbus Police gang and vice units and the Grove City Police Department also assisted in the investigation, Stewart said.