22 people charged in connection with Philadelphia human trafficking ring, AG's office says
Twenty-two people, including a father and daughter, were charged for their alleged involvement in a human trafficking ring primarily run out of a Northeast Philadelphia home from 2012 to 2023, the Pennsylvania attorney general announced Tuesday.
During a press conference Tuesday morning in Center City, Attorney General of Pennsylvania Michelle Henry said investigators believe there are more trafficking victims who have yet to come forward.
According to Henry, the human trafficking ring was allegedly operated mainly out of a home in Philadelphia's Oxford Circle neighborhood by 52-year-old Terrance Jones. Jones was arrested on Friday and charged with corrupt organizations, trafficking in individuals, involuntary servitude, criminal conspiracy and related offenses.
Jones was described by Henry as the alleged ring leader of the human trafficking ring that targeted vulnerable young women in their 20s grappling with substance use and struggling to stay clean. The 52-year-old allegedly exploited over a dozen young women for his human trafficking enterprise throughout the Philadelphia area and South Jersey.
"These are crimes that all of you know often occur in the dark," Henry said. "They involve victims who typically do not have the strong support systems or the community support. Often they are dealing with addiction issues or previously existing traumas."
The Pennsylvania State Police and Attorney General's Office of Pennsylvania's investigation into the human trafficking ring began in 2021 after a victim's friend came forward. Henry detailed the story of the unidentified victim, who later testified before a grand jury, adding that her story was similar to other victims who said they were allegedly involved in the ring.
Henry described the victim as someone who had left a sober home in South Philadelphia, struggled with substance abuse and was looking for money. The victim allegedly saw an ad online for escort work, reached out and spoke to someone named Julie.
But according to Henry, "Julie" was actually Jones, who had disguised his voice to sound like a woman, to recruit commercial sex workers. Henry said that the people Jones recruited were under the impression they were speaking with a woman.
"Julie" allegedly told the victim that she would have a driver pick her up and take her to prearranged "dates." The drivers were also hired by Jones. Henry added that "Julie" also allegedly told the victim she would tell her how much money to collect from each "date," or sex buyer, and that the victim was to give the money collected from the buyers, to the drivers.
Henry said the victim was then taken to multiple locations by a driver where she was given illicit drugs and performed commercial sex acts for buyers. The driver, later, took all the money the victim had acquired and drove her back to his house where he raped her.
"The conduct in this case is disturbing. It is cruel and it is callous," Henry said. "Terrance Jones and his co-conspirators took advantage of young vulnerable women and exploited their suffering to line their own pockets."
Investigators were able to determine that Jones was allegedly the one orchestrating the human trafficking enterprise out of his home on Disston Street in Northeast Philly.
According to Henry, Jones also forced himself on some of the women as part of the interview process to join his escort agency.
"As all human traffickers do, he dehumanized these young women and used them as a commodity to further his trafficking enterprise," Henry said.
Jones' righthand, Thomas Reilly, 54, was a hired driver and charged with similar offenses to Jones, plus rape and other sexual assault offenses, the AG's office said.
According to the AG's office, Jones's daughter, Natoria Jones, who worked as the enterprise's financial manager was also charged.
Three other drivers: James Rudolph, Rhaheem Hill and Joseph Franklin were charged. As well as 16 commercial sex buyers: Joseph Szegila, Christopher Wood, Stephen Osborne, Pasquale Difelice, Steven May, Michael Bonczak, Brian Smith, Christopher Bello, Jonathan Fellenz, Robert Brutsche, Kevin Bullock, Boris Volinsky, Brian Nice, Gary Ames, Grady Durham and Gregory Doto.
"I'd like to thank all of the sexual abuse survivors who come forward, who tell their stories. Those are the ones that make our community safer by speaking their truth," Henry said. "This wouldn't be possible without them."
Anyone who believes they may have been victimized by this organization is urged to call state police at 215-452-5239.