EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. (AP) — A Missouri couple is accused of orchestrating a cross-country prostitution ring involving at least five girls.
A federal complaint accuses 28-year-old Marcus Dewayne Thompson and 24-year-old Robin Thompson of conspiracy and sex trafficking. The Thompsons are from Park Hills, Missouri.
One of the girls, described as being 15 and from Madison, Illinois, told authorities she was enticed into getting into Marcus Thompson’s pickup truck in June while walking in her hometown.
She says she later was enlisted into prostitution in Florida, Texas, New Mexico, Tennessee and Missouri. She alleges that a girl died in her arms, and that they were beaten and threatened with being fed to alligators if they tried to escape.
Marcus Thompson’s attorney declined to comment Wednesday. Online court records don’t show an attorney for his wife.