Ohio Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Sex Trafficking of a Minor

CLEVELAND—Anthony C. Willoughby was sentenced today to 30 years in prison after a jury previously found him guilty of forcing a 16-year-old girl to engage in commercial sex acts, announced Steven M. Dettelbach, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, and Stephen D. Anthony, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Cleveland Office.

“The details of this case underscore why it is so important that we continue to work collaboratively and try to eradicate this modern-day slavery,” said U.S. Attorney Dettelbach. “This defendant preyed upon a weak, vulnerable victim and used her suffering as an opportunity for profit.”

Special Agent in Charge Anthony said, “This case is one of the first human trafficking cases to go to trial in Northern Ohio. Investigating and prosecuting those involved in the sexual exploitation of the most vulnerable of victims is a priority of the FBI. The 30-year sentence imposed today represents the seriousness of the offense and should serve as a deterrent to child predators.”

Willoughby, 39, also known as “P.T.” and “Party Time,” last lived in Toledo, Ohio, according to court records.

A jury on December 16, 2011, found Willoughby guilty on one count of sex trafficking of a minor. Willoughby recruited, enticed, harbored, and transported a juvenile, identified in the indictment as “S.W.,” knowing that by means of force, fraud, and coercion the juvenile was caused to engage in a commercial sex act between February 15, 2009, and March 19, 2009, according to court records.

The victim in this case was 16 at the time of the crime. She had run away from foster care in the winter of 2009 when Willoughby, then 36, agreed to take her in, according to court documents. Willoughby convinced the victim they were in a relationship but then began arranging for “dates” for her from his client list, according to court records.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys James V. Moroney and Ava Rotell Dustin, following an investigation by the Toledo Resident Agency of the Cleveland FBI and the Northwest Ohio Violent Crimes Against Children Task Force (NWOVCACTF).

The NWOVCACTF, directed by the FBI Toledo Resident Agency, includes special agents of the FBI and agents and officers from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation; Ohio Highway Patrol; Toledo Police Department; Lima, Ohio Police Department; Perrysburg Township, Ohio Police Department; Fulton County, Ohio Sheriff’s Office; and the Ottawa County, Ohio Sheriff’s Office.

Eighteen People Indicted for Roles in $3 Million Schemes Involving Seven IHOP Restaurants

Eighteen people were indicted for their roles in a series of criminal schemes, including money laundering, identity theft, alien harboring, and arson, centered around seven IHOP restaurants in northwest Ohio and Indiana that resulted in losses of more than $3 million, law enforcement officials announced today.

“These defendants turned pancakes houses into crime dens,” said Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio. “This indictment lays out a menu of crimes ranging from harboring undocumented workers to identity theft to money laundering to insurance fraud.”

Stephen D. Anthony, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Cleveland office, said, “Today’s arrests are the culmination of years of joint investigative work by the FBI and its partners to root out the corporate fraud outlined in the indictment. The investigation of fraudsters who chose to operate their businesses through the manipulation of financial reporting, money laundering, and other illegal methods will continue to be a top FBI priority.”

“Collaboration with law enforcement at all levels is a powerful tool in the fight against organized criminal groups,” said Brian M. Moskowitz, Special Agent in Charge for ICE-HSI in Ohio and Michigan. “HSI is committed to leveraging its unique statutory authorities and investigative expertise to bring down groups involved a myriad of criminal activities as have been alleged in this case.”

Among those indicted are Tarek “Terry” Elkafrawi, who, from December 2003 through the present, owned seven IHOP restaurants in Evansville, Indiana; and Holland, Toledo (two locations), Findlay, Perrysburg, and Lima, Ohio.

Elkafrawi, along with Autumn Lee Tangas and others, used their control of the restaurants to execute various criminal activities to fraudulently manipulate sales figures, salaries, and payrolls to evade taxes, avoid paying royalties, and illegally divert money from the IHOP franchises to themselves, according to the 64-count indictment.

Elkafrawi employed about 200 illegal immigrants to work at his restaurants, most of whom used fraudulent or stolen identities while working. He and others employed several people to arrange for the arrival of the workers. If the worker had false paperwork or documentation, the manager would accept it without verification; if they did not have documentation, Elkafrawi and others would arrange for Carlos Gamboa, Jose Leon-Gonzales, and others to obtain fraudulent documentation for the workers, according to the indictment.

Elkafrawi also arranged for managers to cash payroll checks for the illegal workers. Elkafrawi and others assigned second identities to workers to avoid paying overtime wages and reduce the restaurants’ payments to the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation. They were also able to underpay the undocumented workers because they knew the workers would not complain or report them to law enforcement, according to the indictment.

Overall, Elkafrawi and others were able to generate $1.2 million in unreported income by manipulating wages and underreporting income of undocumented workers, according to the indictment.

In 2008, the Findlay IHOP burned as the result of arson. The fire was started by Jose Leon-Gonzales at the direction of Elkafrawi and a person identified as M.K. to facilitate an insurance fraud scheme. Elkafrawi claimed approximately $1.3 million in fraudulent insurance claims, based in part on inflated payroll claims, lost income, and invoices, according to the indictment.

M.K., not charged herein, used two identities to split his salary from the restaurants between two paychecks, creating lower reportable income for both. Using those identities, he claimed approximately $140,000 in Medicaid payments and $35,000 in food stamps and welfare benefits from the state of Ohio. M.K. and Elkafrawi created a false property company to which M.K. paid “rent” to Elkafrawi to show a lower income. Elkafrawi and M.K. sanctioned and encouraged employees to file fraudulent claims, according to the indictment.

Elkafrawi, Kelly Elkafrawi, M.K., and Tarek Eid Omar also engaged in a series of real estate transactions to hide and conceal the source of the funds derived from their schemes. Elkafrawi purchased homes at 10400 Tecumseh Drive, Newburgh, Indiana; and 14745 Prairie Lake Drive, Toledo, using laundered assets, according to the indictment.

Prosecutors are seeking to seize the Indiana home as well as more than $37,000 in currency, the seven IHOP franchises, a dozen bank accounts, and several vehicles, according to the indictment.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Duncan T. Brown and Gary D. Arbeznik following an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations, Internal Revenue Service, the Ohio Bureau of Worker’s Compensation, and Toledo Police.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Federal, State, and Local Law Enforcement Partners Announce the Expansion of V-GRIP to Toledo

V-GRIP, a joint federal, state, and local program aimed at reducing violence and getting firearms off the streets, is underway in Toledo, law enforcement officials announced today.

“V-GRIP is a prime example of what happens when agencies and departments combine their resources and work together,” said Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio. “We will build off the success we have had in other parts of the state and work to make Toledo’s streets safer.”

V-GRIP stands for Violence Gun Reduction and Interdiction Program. It includes participation from: the U.S. Attorney’s Office; the Toledo Police Department; the U.S. Marshal Service; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Department of Housing and Urban Development - Office of Inspector General; the Lucas County Prosecutor’s Office; the Ohio Adult Parole Authority; the Ohio State Highway Patrol and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation.

“The V-GRIP initiative shares the goals of the Ohio Attorney General’s office to protect Ohio families from violent crime and make encounters safer for law enforcement officers,” said Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine. “I commend and encourage the participation of Ohio law enforcement in V-GRIP.”

“The days are heating up for criminals in Toledo this summer, but soon they will feel the cold steel bars of justice. ATF is joining forces with Toledo-area law enforcement in the V-GRIP initiative to take back the neighborhoods and stop gun violence,” said Robert J. Browning, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Columbus Field Division.

“The FBI and its partners are committed to combating gang and violent activity in Toledo,” said Stephen D. Anthony, Special Agent in Charge, Cleveland Office. “This multi-agency initiative will help take dangerous offenders off our streets with the goal of making our neighborhoods safer.”

V-GRIP was first implemented in Youngstown in 2003. It was re-instituted in Youngstown, Warren and the entire Mahoning Valley last summer in response to concerns about a summer crime spike. That effort resulted in 21 federal indictments, scores more state indictments and 154 firearms seized.

Participating agencies are working together to put additional officers on the streets of Toledo to supplement regular patrols. They share intelligence to target specific neighborhood crime hot spots.

The goal is to identify repeat violent offenders, with an emphasis on reducing gun violence. Those arrested and found to be in possession of illegal firearms, drugs or other contraband could then be prosecuted in either federal or state court.

Over 900 Cop Books

Police-Writers.com, a website dedicated to listing state and local police officers who have authored books, surpassed a listing of 900 books written by police officers. According to the website’s editor, Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, LAPD (ret.), MPA, “It’s quite a milestone, but there are over 250 police officers whose works are yet to be included!”

The 901st listed book was written by Robert R. Surgenor, a retired detective from the Berea Police Department (Ohio). In 1987, he was one of the first police officers to mount a video camera in his police vehicle; and, in 1988 that camera captured one of the world’s first police chases. In 1995, Robert Surgenor was assigned to the detective bureau and was placed in charge of the juvenile crime unit. His extensive studies on juvenile crime, gangs, parental authority and discipline led to the writing of his book No Fear: A Police Officer’s Perspective.

He has made numerous television appearances supporting his position that “spanking is a necessary part of child rearing.” As an example, he has appeared on MS-NBC, Fox News and other talk shows. According to his website, “he continues to educate parents, police officers, prosecutors, and judges, about Ohio's Child Abuse laws and parental rights in raising children.”

Ovid John McLaughlin, known as O.J., is a 34 year veteran of the Toledo Police Department (Ohio). O.J. attended the now closed DeVilbiss High School in Toledo where he was All-City in both Football and Wrestling.

He attended the University of Toledo, where he played football for one year before playing two years of semi-professional football in Toledo. He joined the Toledo Police Department and during his career has worked in Communications, Traffic Section, Records Section and Street Patrol; and, had a number of commendations during his career

His book, Tales from the Bat Cave, is a look at policing during the 1960s and 1970s. According to the book description, “The “kick ass and take names” days are gone. Police work nowadays is more the “touchy-feely” way. During this era of police work the Officers carried .38 revolvers, did not have portable radios, copy machines, computers and bulletproof vests were the exception rather than the norm. The vests that were worn by officers in this era were the old-fashioned flak vests that weighed about thirty-five pounds.”

Joseph Niehaus is a lieutenant with the Kettering Police Department (Ohio). He has authored five books. Two of Lieutenant Joseph Niehaus’ books concern hypnosis; and, one, Investigative Forensic Hypnosis, looks at the use of hypnosis in law enforcement. He is also the author two novels, Beware the Whale’s Wake and Fade Out.

Police-Writers.com now hosts 423 police officers (representing 185 police departments) and their 901 books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.