New Mexico man sentenced to 14 years in prison for sex trafficking
Co-conspirator receives 10-year sentence for his role
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Two local men were sentenced July 2 for their part in a sex trafficking ring, following an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Albuquerque Police Department, the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, and Deliver Fund, an anti-human trafficking, non-governmental organization, assisted with the investigation.
Adonis Baker, 37, was sentenced to 14 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and Inkosi Grandberry, 40, received a 10-year sentence, followed by five years of supervised release.
“HSI is laser focused on working with our law enforcement partners to identify, arrest, and prosecute those who traffic and victimize young women,” said Frank B. Burrola, special agent in charge of HSI El Paso. “HSI special agents will continue to ensure that transnational criminal organizations that profit off victims shackled in sexual servitude are brought to justice.”
Baker pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking and admitted that he used narcotics and physical force to cause victims to engage in prostitution. Baker and his co-conspirators advertised the victims online and used mobile phones to arrange clients for the women. The victims were not allowed to keep any money paid to them for sex and were expected to work when they were told. The conspirators used motel rooms to harbor the victims.
Grandberry pleaded guilty to transportation for prostitution by coercion and enticement. In his plea, Grandberry admitted that on June 3, 2015, he aided and abetted Baker in persuading a victim, identified in court records as Jane Doe 1, to travel from Phoenix to Albuquerque for prostitution.
A third defendant, Leotha Williams, 61, of Memphis, Tennessee, pleaded guilty to transportation for prostitution by coercion and enticement. In his plea, Williams admitted that he and Baker approached a victim, identified as Jane Doe 2, at a bus stop in Albuquerque between June 2016 and September 2016. Williams and Baker instructed the victim to get into a vehicle with them. They then traveled to Colorado Springs where Williams ensured the victim engaged in prostitution. On July 16, 2020, Williams was sentenced to five years in prison, after which he will be subject to five years of supervised release.
HSI is the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), 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 7,100 special agents assigned to 220 cities throughout the United States, and 80 overseas locations in 53 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.
Updated: