On July 15, federal agents arrested movie producer Dillon Jordan for operating a prostitution business and money laundering. Jordan, known for producing movies such as The Kindergarten Teacher and Skin and The Kid, faces up to fifty years in prison if found guilty of all charges.
According to the indictment filed in the Southern District of New York, Jordan ran a prostitution operation from 2010 through May 2017 by coordinating meetings between several women and alleged sex buyers who paid Jordan to coordinate these meetings throughout the United States and abroad, in particular in the United Kingdom. Jordan also facilitated this operation with a British-based resource to coordinate international trafficking. Specifically, Jordan and a British-based madam worked together, sharing and referring with each other their respective rosters of customers and prostitutes.
Jordan allegedly operated this prostitution ring through a fake event planning company and a real movie production company. Jordan communicated via email with the women he exploited and his clients to coordinate services. He also sent clients pictures of his victims, discussed prices, and oversaw travel logistics. Attempting to conceal his actions, Jordan went by various aliases, opened multiple bank accounts, and falsified payments by making them appear as though they were related to his production company
Previously, Jordan was incarcerated in Cuba for nearly eight years on a solicitation charge. In 2009, investigative journalist Mark Ebner uncovered information about Jordan’s involvement in sex trafficking and published an article on his website. When Jordan got out of prison, Jordan immediately sued Ebner and another associate for defamation and invasion of privacy. That case ended in a settlement where Ebner deleted the article from his website and paid $1,000 to Jordan.
The CSE Institute commends federal officials for taking action against Jordan. This case demonstrates the inherent power dynamic involved in sex trafficking, where those with resources are equipped to exploit others for their own economic benefit. Jordan not only used his power to control women, but he also concealed an investigative journalist’s findings which could have expedited Jordan’s arrest.