Wichita, Kansas Woman Convicted by Jury for Transportation of a Minor for Prostitution

United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that a federal jury in Omaha, Nebraska, returned a guilty verdict on September 27, 2024, against Joan Robinson, age 35, of Wichita, Kansas, for one count of transportation of a minor for prostitution. The verdict subjects Robinson to a potential prison term of up to life and a minimum of ten years. United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher presided over the trial and set sentencing for January 9, 2025.

This investigation began on November 16, 2022, when Minor Victim 1 ("MV1") and co-defendant Khalah Beard were stopped for shoplifting at a Wal-Mart in Omaha. The responding officer suspected that sex trafficking may have been involved and she reported the matter to the Omaha Police Department's Special Victim's Unit. MV1 was identified as a missing minor who was a ward of the state of Kansas. She had been missing for years at the time of this incident and was only 17 years old.

Throughout the investigation, it was determined that on November 12, 2022, Robinson, along with co-defendants Khalah Beard, and Alexas Davis, drove from Wichita to Omaha so that Beard, Davis, and MV1 could engage in prostitution. They checked into adjoining hotel rooms in Omaha which were booked by Robinson using her Priceline account. Photos of MV1 were used to advertise commercial sex acts online. Davis, who was in an intimate relationship with Robinson, kept track of the others and would report to Robinson about when MV1 and Beard would have "dates." Davis was charged with making sure Robinson was receiving her "cut" of money from the other two girls' "dates" as Robinson expected to receive half the proceeds from all the "dates." When Robinson learned she was not getting her "share" from MV1 and Beard, she and Davis abandoned MV1 and Beard in Omaha.

The other two co-defendants both plead guilty to conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of a minor earlier this month. The maximum prison term for both of the co-defendants is a term of up to life. Alexas Davis is set for sentencing on December 18, 2024, and Khalah Beard is set for sentencing on January 15, 2025.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Omaha Police Department, and the Wichita Police Department.