Man Pleads Guilty to Sex Trafficking Woman for 9 Years

NORFOLK, Va. – A California man pleaded guilty today to sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion.

According to the statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, Naeem Lateef Odums, 39, of Clovis, California, and Portsmouth, forced “Jane Doe” to engage in commercial sex acts in California and Virginia for nearly nine years. Odums used a combination of extreme physical violence, threats of violence, and threats of kidnapping Jane Doe’s children, and other forms of control to cause her to perform commercial sex acts. Odums arranged appointments for Jane Doe using a website known to promote prostitution, and collected all the money Jane Doe earned both from her appointments, as well as from her legitimate jobs. In January 2017, Jane Doe was hospitalized after Odums broke three of her ribs and punctured her lung.

Odums was originally charged by criminal complaint on March 7, and was indicted on March 22. A superseding indictment naming two additional women who Odums posted prostitution advertisements for was returned on April 20. Odums faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison when sentenced on October 6. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Michael K. Lamonea, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Norfolk; and Tonya D. Chapman, Chief of Portsmouth Police Department, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Arenda L. Wright Allen accepted the plea and found Odums guilty. Assistant U.S. Attorney V. Kathleen Dougherty is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:17-cr-46.