DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - A Des Moines man has been charged in federal court with sex trafficking seven adults and one minor over the last decade.
Marlin Santana Thomas, 45, was indicted by a grand jury and appeared before a judge Wednesday on the charges, federal prosecutors for Iowa said in a news release. Prosecutors accuse Thomas of trafficking the victims by force, threats, fraud, and coercion from as early as September 2009 until February 2018.
Thomas is also charged with distributing heroin to two victims under the age of 21, and with several related offenses, such as transporting victims out of state for the purpose of prostitution, prosecutors said.
Thomas is currently serving a federal prison term for a separate drug case. If convicted of the new counts, Thomas could get up to life in prison, prosecutors said.
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