A Charlottesville man was arrested early this morning following an hours-long standoff with police for charges related to an alleged criminal prostitution ring operating in Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland and Pennsylvania.
According to police, Brian Lamont Turner, 42, posted hundreds of commercial sex ads for adult women in various cities. He was charged with one count of violating the Mann Act, a federal law that criminalizes the transportation of any woman or girl for the purpose of prostitution.
United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh of the Western District of Virginia and Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division, announced the arrest.
According to court documents, in February 2023, the Federal Bureau of Investigation received multiple reports from local law enforcement agencies identifying Turner and adult females suspected of engaging in commercial sex acts.
The FBI’s investigation revealed an account on the commercial sex website registered to an email address known to be used by Turner. One of Turner’s most recent listings was posted on Jan. 17, advertising commercial sex in Charlottesville.
Turner controlled all or almost all aspects of arranging commercial sex dates, according to police.
He created the advertisements, communicated with customers, and scheduled the dates. Text messages show him providing instructions and information to his victims about dates, such as how long the date was scheduled to last and how much money to charge. Turner also transported the adult victims to and from the hotels and often stayed in the hotel parking lot or another hotel room while the victims saw commercial sex customers.
Turner specifically targeted female victims who had drug addictions, recruited them and used their drug addictions to control them. Turner became the women’s main source of drug supply and threatened to withhold drugs from his victims if they did not complete their commercial sex dates or follow his directions.
Turner is known to possess a firearm and has used it to compel his victims to follow his instructions, according to court records.
The FBI is investigating the case.
The Charlottesville City Police Department and the Albemarle County Police Department assisted with Turner’s arrest.
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Crystal Graham
