3 Maryland Men Plead Not Guilty In Texas Prostitution Case
EL PASO, Texas (AP) -- Three men accused of being part of a ring that forced more than 10 women into prostitution in the West Texas border city of El Paso have pleaded not guilty to the charges in federal court.
Alarcon Wiggins, 43, of Baltimore, the alleged ringleader, along with Mark Corey Williams and Deyonta Thompson waived their right to request bail Monday.
Wiggins did not appear and entered his plea in writing while Thompson stood mute, the equivalent of a not guilty plea.
The three defendants were among five men and five women arrested in October in Baltimore. They are accused of enticing a group of women to move to El Paso, where prosecutors allege they ran a forced prostitution ring and seized the women's profits and cell phones so they couldn't seek help.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
