Four Philadelphia men were charged and arrested for allegedly sex trafficking minors, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Tuesday.
John Adams, 41, also known as “Captain Save-A-Hoe,” was busted along with Mercedes Hampton-Devero, 28, and Malachai Kendall, 20, for allegedly trafficking two minors during a three-week stint in January of 2020, the DOJ said. The men allegedly posted advertisements on a website which is known to be used for advertising sexual services for a fee and ordered the minors to perform commercial sex acts, according to the DOJ.
In one instance, Kendall allegedly recorded one of the minors performing oral sex on him and then sent the video the victim, the DOJ alleged. Adams and Kendall each allegedly had sex with the minor victims multiple times and Hampton-Devero forced one of the victims to record a sex act on her cell phone to be used for an advertisement.
Four Philadelphians Charged With Sex Trafficking of Minors. The defendants allegedly advertised the minors online and harbored them in area hotels and properties. https://t.co/yqSQ5BnLCE
— U.S. Attorney EDPA (@USAO_EDPA) April 20, 2021
When authorities rescued the minors, Adams allegedly wiped his cell phone clean of the evidence, the DOJ announced. He has been charged with tampering with evidence in a federal investigation, according to the DOJ. (RELATED: Man Who Allegedly Sex Trafficked Minor Charged)
A fourth individual, 31-year-old Chukuw Ossai, was charged with trafficking a minor in January of 2020. Ossai allegedly took the minor to a lingerie store where he purchased lingerie for her to wear in a sex advertisement. In one instance, Ossai took the minor “to a housing project in Philadelphia” to have sex and then Ossai allegedly attempted to have sex with the minor himself.
The minor was rescued when Ossai was pulled over by authorities, according to the DOJ.
“The crimes alleged in these Indictments will have a devastating and long-lasting impact on these minor victims,” Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams said in a statement. “We will continue to work collectively with our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute these destructive crimes against vulnerable children.”
The four individuals face a maximum of life imprisonment, according to the DOJ.