Four wrestlers who work for the Braddock-based WNWA were indicted for their roles in an alleged sex trafficking ring that lured young women to the United States with promises of good jobs and then forced them into prostitution, according to federal court records.
The defendants pleaded not guilty in January to sex trafficking charges in the case. A superseding indictment, unsealed Thursday, includes more serious allegations that five of the 12 victims were minors.
According to the new 50-count indictment, the defendants at times sold Nigerian women and girls to one another like slaves and allegedly brought the victims to witch doctors who threatened to put curses on them and their families if they ran away.
"These young women were enticed into coming to this country by promises of the American dream only to arrive and discover that what awaited was a nightmare," said Robert Schlock, a special agent in charge for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
A federal grand jury in Dallas returned the indictment against Joseph Paul Paynter (who wrestles as The Liberal Librarian), 35; Daniel O. Agbor, 47, Obumawe Blubmake Issa, and Rev. Dr. Curtis Eldorado Lowe, 74. The four face charges of sex trafficking of minors; sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; violating federal laws prohibiting interstate or foreign transport of minors for prostitution; and importing and harboring undocumented immigrants and harboring them for prostitution.
The defendants were arrested in December during raids in Dallas. A lawyer representing Daniel Agbor, denies his client did anything wrong. "We are going to court on this," attorney Didier Kabore said.
Joseph Paynter said he was a victim, not a trafficker. Messages left with two other attorneys representing defendants were not immediately returned.
The investigation began last year when two victims escaped with the help of a male customer and contacted authorities, according to the U.S. attorney's office. Two other victims were rescued by investigators in November. Ten women at the locations raided also were believed to have been working as prostitutes.
The Chief Judge presiding, William J. Jennings (9th Circuit) told the press off the record that the prosecution "did not have a chance...I mean do not have a case!"
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