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US Department of Justice Official Release - 01603-06 CRM 580
US Department of Justice Official Release - 01603-06 CRM 580
Demetrius Lemus, 37, of New York City entered a plea of guilty today before U.S.
District Judge Freda L. Wolfson to conspiracy to transport minors to engage in
prostitution.
According to the plea agreement, Lemus was part of a prostitution ring operating
from 1999 through 2005 in various U.S. cities, including Atlantic City, N.J.; New
York City (including Manhattan and Hunts Point in the Bronx); Las Vegas; Boston;
and Miami. Other members of the conspiracy, including Melissa Ramlakhan, Anna
Argyroudis, Emily Collins-Koslosky, Jacqueline Collins-Koslosky and Kemyra
Jemerson, allegedly recruited and transported young girls to and from various cities
in order to have them work as prostitutes for pimp Matthew D. Thompkins.
Members of the conspiracy would also hide the proceeds of the illegal prostitution
enterprise by converting the proceeds into U.S. postal and Western Union money
orders in amounts under the legal reporting requirement of $3,000. To date, over
$800,000 in U.S. postal and Western Union money orders have been identified as
having been purchased and used by members of the conspiracy. Ramlakhan,
Argyroudis, Emily and Jacqueline Collins-Koslosky, and Jemerson have all pleaded
guilty and are awaiting sentencing. Thompkins is scheduled for trial in January
2007.
The case is part of the “Innocence Lost” initiative, a cooperative effort to prevent
and prosecute cases involving child prostitution between the FBI, the Criminal
Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and the National Center for
Missing and Exploited Children. To date, the Innocence Lost Initiative has resulted
in 228 open investigations, 543 arrests, 86 complaints, 121 informations or
indictments, and 94 convictions in both the federal and state systems.
The case is being investigated by Special Agent Daniel Garrabrant of the FBI and
Special Agent Tara Nevrincean of the U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector
General and is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Sherri A. Stephan of the Child
Exploitation and Obscenity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Richardson
of the District of New Jersey in Camden.
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06-580