HSI Baltimore-led investigation lands local man in federal prison for 15 years for trafficking at least 3 women
The defendant arranged for at least 1 victim to have his nicknames tattooed on her
BALTIMORE — Homeland Security Investigations’ (HSI) Baltimore field office led an investigation that landed a local man in federal prison for 15 years on sex trafficking charges. Ryan Odell Oliver, 40, of Baltimore, received the lengthy prison sentence Monday, after pleading guilty to trafficking three female victims. Upon completion of his sentence, Oliver will be subject to 15 years of supervised release.
According to the HSI-led investigation, in December 2018 one of Oliver’s victims (Victim 1) texted a nonprofit sex trafficking prevention agency and stated that she was forced into prostitution and that Oliver was holding her against her will. An undercover law enforcement officer followed up on the report and made a commercial sex date with Victim 1 to find her. Officers located Victim 1 at the location given for the sex date. Oliver was also at the location but fled before he could be arrested. Authorities also found a second victim (Victim 2) at that location.
“HSI Baltimore will not allow sex traffickers like Mr. Oliver to operate freely in the state of Maryland or the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area,” said James Harris, special agent in charge of HSI Baltimore. “The severity of this sentence reflects the tremendous damage that he did to at least three young women. HSI Baltimore and our law enforcement partners will continue our efforts to ensure that predators like Mr. Oliver will be held accountable for their actions.”
During the investigation, law enforcement spoke with three women Oliver was trafficking or attempting to traffic. Victims 1 and 2 told officers they were trying to leave but Oliver refused to let them go. The victims stated that Oliver was attempting to traffic Victim 2 and had trafficked Victim 1 and a third woman (Victim 3) for his prostitution business. Oliver physically and sexually assaulted Victims 1 and 2, and Victim 1 and Victim 3 worked for Oliver in Washington D.C. and Maryland, as well as surrounding states. Oliver advertised all three victims online for commercial sex dates and kept all the money the victims made on commercial sex dates. Oliver also arranged for a tattoo artist to tattoo his nicknames, “Fame” and “Foreign,” on one of his victims.
According to the investigation, Oliver gave Victim 1 daily quotas for commercial sex dates and refused to provide for her if she did not meet them. Oliver also made Victim 1 take pictures of other sex trafficking victims to advertise them for commercial sex dates. Oliver used violence against Victim 1 and told her that she was his property. Victim 3 advised that Oliver provided her with drugs, including heroin.
According to the investigation, after meeting Victim 2 on a social media platform in December 2018, Oliver paid for a car to drive her from Pennsylvania to his residence. There, Oliver forced Victim 2 to have sex with him and choked her when she would not comply with his sexual demands. After the assault, Victim 2 met one of Oliver’s co-conspirators, now deceased, who took her to a hotel, forced her to watch another sex trafficking victim conduct a sex date, and warned Victim 2 not to try to escape because Oliver had a gun and would find her.
Oliver was arrested on Jan. 11, 2019, in Baltimore. A search warrant executed at his residence recovered three cell phones, a hand-held recorder, a laptop, a ledger, a 9mm firearm and ammunition. Additionally, law enforcement discovered images of Victims 1 and 3 on Oliver’s phone.
The investigation was led by HSI Baltimore with significant assistance from state and local law enforcement partners, including law enforcement agencies that are members of the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force, formed in 2007 to discover and rescue victims of human trafficking while identifying and prosecuting offenders. Members include federal, state and local law enforcement, as well as victim service providers and local community members.
Report suspected instances of human trafficking to HSI's tip line at 866-347-2423 or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators.
HSI is a directorate of ICE and the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel and finance move. HSI’s workforce of over 10,400 employees consists of more than 6,800 special agents assigned to 225 cities throughout the United States and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’ largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.
Learn more about HSI’s mission to combat child exploitation in your community on Twitter @HSIBaltimore.
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