On December 5, two men were arrested and charged following a trafficking sting carried out by the Berks County Human Trafficking task Force. Keith G. Manwiller, 49, of Hummelstown, Dauphin County, was charged with attempted trafficking, unlawful contact with a minor, attempted corruption of minors, and attempted patronization of prostitutes. Mathew C. Koroma, 23, of Spring Township, Berks County, was charged with a trafficking in individuals, unlawful contact with a minor, and attempted corruption of minors, and attempted statutory sexual assault. These charges stem from the defendants’ separate attempts to meet who they believed to be underage girls for sex at homes in the western Berks community.
According to law enforcement, the defendants were identified by the Berks Human Trafficking Task Force and Homeland Security Investigations pursuant to an operation to combat the illegal sex trade involving underage victims in Berks County. During the operation, detectives report they posted ads on websites commonly associated with promoting the sex trade. Both defendants allegedly responded to the advertisements, resulting in their subsequent arrests.
After responding to the ad, Manwiller allegedly engaged in a text conversation with someone he believed to be a 17-year-old girl, who was actually an undercover detective. During their conversation, investigators report they discussed explicit sex acts as well as the agreed-upon fee for those sex acts. Around 11 a.m. that same day, Manwiller allegedly arrived at the front door of the home at which they agreed to meet, and was arrested. When questioned, he allegedly admitted to using an app to disguise his phone number and acknowledged his intention to engage in sexual acts with the girl in exchange for money, fully aware that such conduct was illegal.
Similarly, Koroma allegedly engaged in a text conversation with a person he believed to be a 17-year-old girl, who was actually an undercover detective. The girl also purportedly informed Koroma that she had a 14-year-old female friend who was interested as well. Koroma then allegedly arranged to have sexual intercourse with both of the minors at a home in the township’s West Wyomissing neighborhood. When Koroma arrived and was approached by detectives, he fled the scene but was apprehended shortly after. Upon his arrest, he was found to be carrying two boxes of condoms.
Under Pennsylvania law, an individual is guilty of trafficking if they recruit, entice, solicit, patronize, harbor, transport, provide, obtain, advertise, or maintain another person for a commercial sex act. To be guilty of sex trafficking of a child, the prosecution must only prove that the defendants engaged in soliciting, enticing, harboring, obtaining, patronizing, or transporting a minor who is or will be subject to sexual servitude.
Here, if the alleged facts are proven true, Manwiller’s and Koroma’s agreements to meet who they believed to be children and pay to engage in sexual acts with them meet the elements of sex trafficking under Pennsylvania law. By responding to the ads and arranging the details of the encounters, both men attempted to solicit and patronize the children. In doing so, not only did they knowingly seek and agree to rape the children, but they also committed trafficking in individuals.
Under both federal and state law, any commercial sexual exploitation of minors constitutes sex trafficking because children cannot consent to be bought or sold for sex. Therefore, human trafficking charges against both defendants would be appropriate in addition to the other offenses charged.
The CSE Institute commends the diligence of the Berks County District Attorney’s Office, Berks County Human Trafficking Force and Homeland Security Investigations for their efforts in investigating and arresting Manwiller and Koroma. Law enforcement must remain vigilant and dedicated to protecting the youth in their communities by conducting investigations that target child sexual abuse. We must persist in criminalizing human trafficking and the exploitation of young, vulnerable individuals, as doing so will significantly decrease the demand for commercial sex and reduce human trafficking as a whole.
We urge law enforcement to continue taking steps to protect their communities by conducting thorough investigations into suspected sex trafficking and encourage prosecutors statewide to utilize the human trafficking statutes when appropriate. By strengthening enforcement efforts and prioritizing the prosecution of these crimes, we can work toward dismantling trafficking networks and safeguarding vulnerable individuals from harm.
Bail was set at $100,000 unsecured for both defendants.
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.