Baltimore woman pleads guilty to operating sex trafficking ring in Maryland

BALTIMORE -- A Baltimore woman pleaded guilty Friday to operating a sex trafficking ring in Maryland following a two-year investigation, according to Attorney General Anthony Brown. 

Kenika Danielle Leach, 33, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, distribution of a controlled substance and receiving earnings of a prostitute after an investigation identified at least 11 women who were trafficked by her, according to the Office of the Attorney General (OAG).

The identified women from Hagerstown were trafficked by Leach and her co-conspirators to hotels and motels in Maryland to perform commercial sex acts, the OAG said.  

The investigation, led by the OAG's Organized Crime Unit, began in December 2021 when a local hospital employee notified Baltimore Police that a patient said they were sex trafficked by Leach.  

According to the OAG, the patient told police that Leach took her from Hagerstown to the Baltimore area to commit commercial sex acts for which Leach received money and drugs. 

After collaborating with other agencies and reviewing large amounts of cell phone, social media and financial records, the Organized Crime Unit identified 10 more women who had been trafficked by Leach from Hagerstown to hotels in the Baltimore and Anne Arundel County areas to perform sex acts, according to the OAG.  

According to an indictment, Leach exploited the women's drug addictions by controlling their access to drugs and giving them "drug debts" which they were forced to repay by engaging in commercial sex acts.  

The money that the victims earned would often be given directly to Leach through a "peer-to-peer payment application," the indictment alleged.

The indictment further alleged that Leach used physical violence to coerce and control the women and used intimidation and manipulation to coerce the women to remain obedient and loyal to her.  

According to the indictment, Leach punished the women by ordering them to "get on the wall" and cover their faces so she could beat them without impacting their facial features.  

Leach is scheduled to be sentenced on February 18, 2024. She faces a possible maximum sentence of 40 years and will be held without bond until sentencing, the OAG said.