Authorities have arrested a man and woman from Rochester on sex-trafficking charges, accusing them of using an Amherst hotel to engage a teenager in prostitution.
Otis Willis, 30, and Tiffany St. Denis, 23, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Marian W. Payson on Friday in Rochester and face a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison, U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul Jr. said.
The two are being held for a detention hearing on Wednesday.
Willis and St. Denis allegedly convinced the 17-year-old female to engage in prostitution, and that two customers paid to have sex with her and St. Denis at the Red Roof Inn in Amherst, according to Hochul’s office.
The criminal complaint also alleges that the two engaged a 16-year-old girl to take part in prostitution activities and paid her with cocaine. When she expressed her desire to stop, Willis allegedly beat her up.
“Forcing a young person into prostitution through violence has to be one of the most deplorable crimes not only in our country, but across the globe,” Hochul said.
The case was a multi-agency investigation, which included the FBI and Amherst police.
Otis Willis, 30, and Tiffany St. Denis, 23, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Marian W. Payson on Friday in Rochester and face a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison, U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul Jr. said.
The two are being held for a detention hearing on Wednesday.
Willis and St. Denis allegedly convinced the 17-year-old female to engage in prostitution, and that two customers paid to have sex with her and St. Denis at the Red Roof Inn in Amherst, according to Hochul’s office.
The criminal complaint also alleges that the two engaged a 16-year-old girl to take part in prostitution activities and paid her with cocaine. When she expressed her desire to stop, Willis allegedly beat her up.
“Forcing a young person into prostitution through violence has to be one of the most deplorable crimes not only in our country, but across the globe,” Hochul said.
The case was a multi-agency investigation, which included the FBI and Amherst police.