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Press Release

Ashland Woman Sentenced To 32 Years In Prison For Labor Trafficking And Relate Crimes Involving Disabled Woman

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Ohio

An Ashland, Ohio, woman was sentenced to 32 years in prison for holding a woman with cognitive disabilities and her child against their will and forcing the woman to perform manual labor for them, said Steven M. Dettelbach, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, and Stephen D. Anthony, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Cleveland office.

Jessica L. Hunt, 32, was sentenced to 32 years in prison by U.S. District Judge Benita Pearson. Jordie L. Callahan, 28, was sentenced to 30 years in prison by Judge Pearson earlier this week.

Hunt and Callahan convicted in March following a three-week trial on one count each of conspiracy to violate laws; forced labor and acquiring a controlled substance by deception.

“Labor trafficking cases are significant, and in this case the conduct was reprehensible," Dettelbach said. "People need to understand that exploiting vulnerable people for their own greed is going to lead them to a jail cell. We remain humbled by the strength and dignity of the victims in this case.”

“Today’s sentence is another individual served a dose of justice for subjecting two others to years of inhumane treatment,” Special Agent in Charge Anthony said.

Daniel J. Brown, 35, and Dezerah L. McGuire (formerly Silsby), 33, also of Ashland, both previously pleaded guilty to related crimes are serving sentences in federal prison. Brown was sentenced to five years in prison and McGuire was sentenced to nearly four years in prison.

Callahan and Hunt used a combination of violence, threats, sexual assaults, humiliation, deprivation and monitoring to establish and continue a pattern of domination and control over their victims, identified only as S.E. and B.E., according to the court documents and trial testimony.

Their tactics included beating S.E., threating to beat to S.E. and B.E., taunting and threatening the victims with pit bulls and snakes, causing the victims to sleep in unsafe and unsanitary conditions, restricting B.E. and S.E.’s access to the bathroom, preventing them from eating regular and suitable meals and forcing S.E. to eat dog food and crawl on the floor while wearing a dog collar, according to the court documents and trial testimony.

According to court documents and trail testimony:

Callahan pointed a firearm at S.E.’s head and threatened to kill her if she did not perform the labor and services he and other conspirators commanded. Callahan also forced S.E. on multiple occasions to engage in sex acts with him and threatened that he and Hunt would kill S.E. if she told anyone about the forced sexual acts.

The conspiracy between Callahan, Hunt, McGuire and Brown took place between August 2010 and October 2012. The object of the conspiracy included holding S.E. in a condition of forced labor and involuntary servitude and intentionally causing painful injuries to S.E. so they could use the narcotic pain medications she was prescribed to satisfy their personal drug cravings.

Callahan and Hunt recruited S.E. and B.E. to live with them in their two-bedroom apartment in Ashland, knowing that S.E. suffered a traumatic brain injury that left her with a cognitive disability and that S.E. and B.E. received monthly public assistance payments.

In August 2011, McGuire, at the direction of Callahan and Hunt, smashed S.E.’s hand with a rock with such force that S.E. needed to go to the hospital emergency room. Callahan, Hunt and McGuire then forced S.E. to give them the narcotic pain pills and prescription for narcotic pain pills she obtained after being treated at the emergency room.

In December 2011, Callahan and Hunt injured S.E.’s back with such force that she needed medical treatment. Again, Callahan and Hunt forced S.E. to give them the narcotic pain pills and prescription for narcotic pain pills she obtained after being treated.

In March 2012, Callahan kicked S.E. in the hip with such force that she needed medical treatment. Callahan and Hunt forced S.E. to give them the narcotic pain pills and prescription for narcotic pain pills she obtained after being treated.

On multiple occasions between August 2010 and October 2012, Callahan and Hunt threatened S.E. and B.E. with serious physical harm, including death, if S.E. did not clean up the apartment, care for their numerous pit bull dogs, snakes and other reptiles, purchase items at the store and perform other labor and services ordered by the conspirators.

Callahan and Hunt used a video camera to monitor S.E. and B.E.’s activities and conversations in the apartment. They often forced S.E. to walk to the store to buy groceries, cigarettes, dog food and other items for Callahan, Hunt and Hunt’s four sons and to pay for these purchases with her public assistance card. They allotted S.E. only a brief time period to complete the shopping and warned her she was not allowed to speak with anyone while she was out. They frequently required B.E. to remain with them at the apartment while S.E. was out and threatened physical harm to B.E. and S.E. if S.E. broke any of their rules.

Callahan and Hunt also threatened to contact Ashland County Job and Family Services and have B.E. taken away if S.E. purchased any items at the store other than those they ordered or if she told anyone about their unlawful conduct.

In June 2011, after S.E. and B.E. had attempted to flee the apartment, Callahan and Hunt ordered Brown and McGuire to find S.E. and B.E. and bring them back to the apartment. Brown and McGuire lured S.E. and B.E. into their vehicle by promising to take them to Dairy Queen, only to deposit them afterwards back at the apartment.

On multiple occasions, Callahan and Brown locked S.E. and B.E. in a room with a window that was nailed shut and a door that had been locked from the outside.

In October 2011, Callahan and Hunt forced S.E. to hit her child while they recorded a video, and threatened to inflict much greater physical harm on both S.E. and B.E. if S.E. did not comply.

One month later, Callahan and Hunt again forced S.E. to strike B.E. while they captured a video recording of the staged incident on Callahan’s cell phone. Callahan and Hunt repeatedly threatened have B.E. taken away by showing the videos to authorities in order to secure S.E.’s compliance to the conspirators’ commands.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chelsea Rice and Thomas E. Getz following an investigation by the FBI and Ashland Police Department, with assistance from the Ashland County Prosecutor’s Office.

Updated March 12, 2015