Judge convicts leader of Philly sex trafficking ring
Terrance L. Jones, 54, ran the criminal enterprise out of his home in the city's Lawndale section, investigators said.
A 54-year-old Philadelphia man was convicted of leading a human trafficking ring out of his home in the city’s Lawndale section, state Attorney General Dave Sunday said Friday.
Following a one-day trial in Philadelphia, Terrance L. Jones, 54, was convicted Thursday by a judge of eight charges, Sunday said. Jones will be sentenced on Dec. 11.
Sunday said the trafficking operation generated hundreds of thousands of dollars a year and Jones employed drivers to transport the female victims to “dates.” Jones also posed as a female to recruit sex workers, Sunday said.
Sunday said Jones ran the operation from his residence from 2012 through February 2023, luring vulnerable young women into working for the trafficking ring, then giving them drugs and forcing them to have sex with men across the region.
Multiple other people charged in the trafficking case also have been convicted, Sunday said.
“Human trafficking convictions are very challenging, and there was a long road to get to this point. I commend our partners with the Pennsylvania State Police for collaborating on a complex investigation that brought this long-running criminal enterprise to an end,” Sunday said in a statement.
Jones advertised his business, called “GFE” or “the Girlfriend Experience,” online and connected with young women in their 20s, investigators said.
Authorities learned about the ring in 2021 after a confidential informant contacted police and said they feared a friend was being trafficked.
After meeting with woman, authorities launched a three-year investigation.
