Human Trafficking Ringleader Gets 14 Years Behind Bars

Joe Lyons • January 19, 2024

(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — The leader of a human trafficking ring that operated in central Ohio has been sentenced to 14 years in prison, Attorney General Dave Yost announced today.

The sentencing of Marcus Carmon, 40, follows his guilty pleas in November to felony charges of compelling prostitution, having weapons under disability and possession of drugs. Carmon also must register as a Tier II sex offender after his release from prison.

  Marcus Carmon

“Traffickers and their evil ways of manipulation have no place in a civilized society,” Yost said. “Removing them from our communities keeps everyone safer and clears a path for survivors to reach the Highway to Hope.”

A Franklin County grand jury indicted Carmon and two accomplices in August 2020 following an investigation by the Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force, part of the attorney general’s Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission.

The investigation revealed that Carmon targeted vulnerable women who were fighting addiction, exploiting them through prostitution for his financial gain. Evidence showed he used threats, drugs and physical violence to gain control and manipulate his victims.

Carmon’s co-defendant Bradley Powell was sentenced in 2022 to 708 days in prison with full credit for time served after pleading guilty to promoting prostitution. The second co-defendant, Anthony Dunn, pleaded guilty to promoting prostitution in 2020 and is awaiting sentencing. Attorneys with the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office prosecuted the cases.

The Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force consists of representatives from the Columbus Division of Police, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations, the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office, the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office, the Licking County Sheriff’s Office, the Powell Police Department, the Ohio State University Police Department, the Marysville Police Department, the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office, the Delaware County Prosecutor’s Office, the Union County Prosecutor’s Office, Southeast Healthcare and the Salvation Army.