Owner Of Illegal Massage Parlor Found Guilty Of Sex Trafficking

United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced the conviction of OMAR KASHAKA TAYLOR a/k/a “Shaka,” 44, for sex trafficking two victims, including one minor victim. Following a seven-day trial before Senior Judge Donovan W. Frank in U.S. District Court in St. Paul, Minnesota, the jury found TAYLOR guilty on all counts.

“Sex trafficking is an abhorrent crime that will not be tolerated in our communities,” said United States Attorney Erica MacDonald. “Omar Taylor targeted young, Native American women and girls and coerced them into performing commercial sex acts during massages for his own financial benefit.  I commend the work of the investigators and the prosecutors in obtaining justice for the victims.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Manda Sertich said the convictions “should serve as a warning to those who seek to traffic and exploit vulnerable Native American girls and women.”

As proven at trial, from August 2017 through March 2018, TAYLOR, a registered sex offender, operated an illegal massage business out of his Minneapolis residence. TAYLOR recruited several young women and girls to work in his illicit massage business and then, through force, fraud, and coercion, made them perform commercial sex acts in exchange for money for his own financial benefit. TAYLOR used Backpage.com to solicit prospective clients by posting advertisements with photos of the victims, offering massage services that would include sex acts.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Minnesota Human Trafficking Investigators Task Force, and the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant United States Attorneys Manda M. Sertich and Michelle E. Jones are prosecuting this case.

Defendant Information:

OMAR KASHAKA TAYLOR, a/k/a “Shaka,” 44

Minneapolis, Minn.

Convicted:

• Sex trafficking of a minor, 1 count
• Sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, 2 counts
• Commission of a felony offense involving a minor when required to register as a sex offender, 1 count

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United States Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota: (612) 664-5600