On October 22, PA Attorney General Michelle Henry announced the arrests of 22 individuals alleged to be connected to a human trafficking organization based out of the Lawndale section in Philadelphia. According to Attorney General Henry, the trafficking organization recruited victims online through advertising “the Girlfriend Experience,” or “GFE,” to young women in their 20s, most of whom struggled with addiction and were desperate for money and housing. The arrestees include the alleged leader of the organization, Terrance L. Jones, 52, of Philadelphia, his daughter and the organization’s alleged financial manager, Natoria Jones, 29, 4 alleged “drivers,” and 16 alleged commercial sex buyers.
These charges result from a 3-year comprehensive investigation by the Office of Attorney General, Pennsylvania State Police, and 50th Statewide Investigating Grand Jury that began when an informant told the Philadelphia police that she was concerned her friend was being trafficked.
Police report they met with the victim who said she was connected with Jones’ organization shortly after leaving a sober living home in Philadelphia. According to the victim, she was transported by a driver to various locations for “dates.” She reported that on at least one occasion she was taken to at least four “dates in one night” and that her “driver” — later identified as Thomas Reilly — then forced her to have sex with him in exchange for a place to sleep. Reilly also allegedly provided her with drugs.
Based on this information, police launched an investigation that reportedly revealed that a human trafficking ring was operating out of Jones’ home on Disston Street in Lawndale for at least 12 years. According to the presentment, investigators found Jones’ operation was expansive, crossing through the Philadelphia suburbs and into New Jersey, and that, at one time in 2023, Jones arranged 78 “dates” in only 10 days. Jones allegedly kept most of the funds.
According to Attorney General Henry, when victims responded to the “GFE” advertisements, Jones posed as a woman by disguising his voice to earn the women’s trust, calling himself “Julie” or “Julia.” “Julia” reportedly told victims they could earn money and drugs by going on “dates,” but that first they would need to “interview” with a “longtime client.” The victims were then allegedly transported to Jones’ home where, according to Henry, Jones would “force himself on [the women] as part of the interview process.”
Jones, who was previously convicted of promoting prostitution, was arrested on October 18 and charged with trafficking in individuals, involuntary servitude, corrupt organizations, dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities, criminal conspiracy, criminal use of communication facility, and two counts of promoting prostitution. His bail is set at $2 million.
Reilly, one of the alleged drivers, was arrested and charged with trafficking in individuals, involuntary servitude, rape by forcible compulsion, sexual assault, false imprisonment, unlawful restraint, dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities, corrupt organizations, criminal conspiracy, criminal use of communication facility, two counts of promoting prostitution, indecent assault, and simple assault. His bail is set at $1 million.
Alleged drivers James Rudolph and Joseph Franklin were charged with promoting prostitution, corrupt organizations, dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities, and criminal conspiracy.
Natoria Jones was charged with corrupt organizations, dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities, criminal conspiracy, and criminal use of communication facility. Rhaheem Hill, another alleged driver, was also charged in connection with Jones’ organization.
Alleged commercial sex buyers Michael Bonczak, Pasquale Difelice, Joseph Szeglia, Christopher Wood, Steve Osborne, Stephen May, Brian Nice, Grady Durham, and Gregory Doto were charged with criminal conspiracy and promoting prostitution. Also charged as commercial sex buyers were Brian Smith, Christopher Bello, Jonathan Fellenz, Robert Brutsche, Kevin Bullock, Boris Volinsky, and Gary Ames.
“This case is about greed and control,” Attorney General Henry said. “For more than a decade, Terrance Jones allegedly tricked vulnerable young women into his web of control and abuse, disregarding their well-being and safety to make a profit.”
The CSE Institute commends the Office of the Attorney General, Pennsylvania State Police, and the other investigative actors involved in the case. As noted by the Attorney General, charging commercial sex buyers is essential to reducing trafficking because without the buyers fueling the industry and driving the demand for commercial sex, traffickers would have no source of income.
Notably, only Jones and Reilly were charged with trafficking in individuals despite the fact that, according to the presentment, all of the individuals charged committed at least one of the acts criminalized as trafficking under Chapter 30 of the Pennsylvania Crimes code. If the facts alleged are true, the drivers satisfied the elements of trafficking in individuals by transporting the victims, and the sex buyers satisfied the same by soliciting and patronizing sex acts from the victims. Charging commercial sex buyers along with traffickers and facilitators will help to send the message to all offenders involved in the sex trafficking trade that their illegal and abusive conduct will be taken seriously and will be appropriately labeled and prosecuted as a human trafficking crime. We urge law enforcement officials to pursue charges of trafficking in individuals any time a person engages in conduct that meets the requisite elements of this crime including soliciting, patronizing, and transporting an individual while knowing or recklessly disregarding that the individual will be subject to sexual servitude.
The CSE Institute commends the informant who tipped the police off and the survivor who provided them with the information that led to these arrests. The information alleged in the presentment, if true, appears to show that Jones and his co-conspirators had every intention of continuing to victimize as many women as possible. The bravery of the informant and the survivor in this case may have prevented this alleged organization from victimizing countless more women. We also applaud law enforcement for their dedication and diligence in carrying out this long-term investigation. We hope that this case and others like it will help survivors believe that they will not be wrongfully criminalized or mistreated if they come forward.
Anyone with information about Jones is asked to contact the Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigations at 215-452-5239.
The CSE Institute will continue to provide updates as they become available.
All views expressed herein are personal to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law or of Villanova University.