A federal grand jury handed down the indictment against Gary Delima and Sharif Cargo, both 26 of Brooklyn, on Tuesday, according to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Vermont’s Office.
The grand jury indictment comes weeks after U.S. Attorney Eric Miller launched an anti-sex trafficking campaign in Vermont. His office said that in about three-quarters of major drug cases, women are the primary supporters of dealers — offering up resources such as vehicles, lodging and other supports. They often have severe addiction problems and are sometimes being used for sex.
Sex trafficking in Vermont has been on the rise in recent years, especially in conjunction with the drug trade. In January, a member of the Vermont State Police told lawmakers he was “floored” by the increase in human trafficking.
Prosecutors say Delima and Cargo forced women to travel from New York to Vermont in order to engage in prostitution. Both men were indicted in March on charges of distributing heroin and cocaine in Vermont.
Law enforcement discovered two women, one of whom was a minor, in a South Burlington motel room in February. They both admitted to engaging in prostitution and pointed to Delima as the man responsible for transporting them from New York to Vermont for that purpose, according to an affidavit that was part of a search warrant application.
The February bust came a year-and-a-half after law enforcement first encountered evidence that the two had trafficked women to Vermont for prostitution.
Law enforcement found Delima and Cargo in a hotel room in South Burlington in July 2013, accompanied by two women. According to police, there was evidence of prostitution as well as narcotics.
One of the women had been listed as an escort available in the South Burlington area in an advertisement posted to the website Backpage.com earlier that day. According to police, several other listings had been posted to the website over the previous year using Cargo’s email address.
In a statement Tuesday, Miller reiterated that his office is determined to root out trafficking in Vermont.
“We will win the fight against human trafficking through this targeted combination of education, treatment, and vigorous law enforcement,” Miller said in a statement.
The two men face a mandatory minimum of 15 years if convicted of charges for sex trafficking by force and coercion, with a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Delima faces an additional charge for sex trafficking of a child, for which he could receive a minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum of life.
The investigation was a joint effort of federal law enforcement, including the Drug Enforcement Administration, along with the South Burlington and Burlington police departments.
