On March 16, 2018, the Upper Merion Township Police Department arrested Soward Snoh, 22, in King of Prussia following an online prostitution investigation.
Court records show that Snoh was charged with various acts of promoting prostitution, including one count of procuring an inmate for house of prostitution (a third degree felony); one count of encouraging, inducing, or otherwise intentionally causing another to become or remain a prostitute (a third degree felony); one count of leasing or otherwise permitting a place … to be regularly used for prostitution or the promotion of prostitution … (a second degree misdemeanor); and, one count of criminal use of a communication facility (a third degree felony). Snoh was arraigned the next day and is currently being detained at Montgomery County Prison on $20,000 bail.
The Mercury reported that Upper Merion police officers began their investigation by browsing online advertisements for prostitution. The investigators contacted women whose pictures were featured alongside an advertisement they believed to be for commercial sex. One of the women reportedly gave the address of a residence where she agreed to meet the officer she believed to be a sex buyer. When the officers arrived, they were allowed into the residence by one of the women in the ad. She led them to Snoh, as well as the other woman who was pictured in the online advertisement.
According to The Times Herald the online advertisement for commercial sex was allegedly posted by Snoh. He also allegedly charged the two women pictured in the ad for rent, took half of the money they generated from prostitution-related activities, and enforced rules aimed at controlling their behavior. The police also found multiple beds, sex toys, lotions, and other items related to commercial sex at the residence. A preliminary hearing in this case was held on March 28. Formal arraignment is scheduled for May 23, 2018.
The CSE Institute applauds the work of Upper Merion Township investigators in making this arrest. However, we encourage prosecutors to utilize the human trafficking laws in Pennsylvania to bring additional charges against Snoh, if appropriate. While the facts of this case continue to unfold, Snoh’s alleged charging for rent, controlling behavior, and financially benefiting from the women’s prostitution-related activities seem to fit the criteria set forth in 18 Pa.C.S. § 3011(a)(1) – trafficking in individuals. A person commits the crime of trafficking of individual if the person harbors, provides, or maintains an individual and has reckless disregard to the individual who will be subject to involuntary servitude. Or, a person commits the crime of trafficking individuals if the person knowingly benefits financially or receives anything of value from activities described previously.
Moreover, the CSE Institute is hopeful that by focusing on traffickers who profit from commercial sexual exploitation, local authorities can further incorporate the Nordic Model into their policing practices. The Nordic Model is an approach that aims to curb the demand for commercial sex that fuels trafficking and connects prostituted persons with the assistance services they need to exit “the life”.
All views expressed herein are personal to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law or Villanova University.