On Tuesday, Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry announced multiple arrests in a Philadelphia-based human trafficking ring in which the leader pretended to be a woman while targeting and exploiting women who dealt with substance abuse issues.
Officials announced several arrests in connection to a Philadelphia-based human trafficking ring in which young women who were dealing with drug addiction were targeted, exploited and repeatedly raped, investigators said.
Terrance Jones, 52, led the operation in which he recruited drivers who escorted the women to “dates” with sex buyers, Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry revealed during a Tuesday afternoon press conference. Investigators said at least 25 people were involved in Jones’ trafficking ring, including his own daughter.
"As all human traffickers do, he dehumanized these young women and used them as a commodity to further his trafficking enterprise," Henry said.
Resources for victims of sexual assault are available through the National Sexual Violence Resources Center and the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-4673.
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Victim speaks with police
The investigation began in June 2021 after a Pennsylvania State Police trooper was contacted by an informant who said they were aware of a young woman who recently left a substance abuse sober home in South Philadelphia and was possibly the victim of sexual exploitation and human trafficking. State troopers then found the woman at a Philadelphia motel and returned her to the sober home at her request. Investigators said the woman was both physically and mentally impaired at the time after using drugs over the course of multiple days.
The woman told investigators that while she was at the sober home, she searched on the internet and found the phone number for an escort service. After calling the number, she spoke to someone who sounded like a woman and referred to themselves as “Julie” or “Julia.” The victim said “Julia” asked her to describe herself and send pictures. “Julia” then told the victim that a driver would pick her up and take her to various locations to go on “dates” with sex buyers in exchange for money.
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After the victim told “Julia” she was in a recovery house, “Julia” told her that the sex buyers would provide her with drugs. The victim was told to give her driver $125 for each “date.” “Julia” also told the victim she would be able to collect $200 to $250 from each sex buyer for each hour. “Julia” told the victim that the sex buyers would call an “agency” and “Julia” would then provide the victim with the buyer’s phone number. “Julia” also told the victim to call the buyer from the driver’s phone which had a blocked number.
The victim told investigators she went on multiple “dates” during a period of several days in which she worked for “Julia” and the “agency.” The victim also told investigators that the driver who took her on dates was named “Tommy.” Investigators later identified the driver as 54-year-old Thomas Reilly who they described as the second in command in the sex trafficking organization.
Reilly allegedly took the victim on at least four “dates” before taking her back to his home where he raped her, telling the woman that he “needed something in return” since he was allowing her to stay at his house, investigators said. Reilly also allegedly sold the victim Xanax and marijuana. The victim told investigators she felt “trapped” at Reilly’s home and did not feel free to leave.
The investigation
The victim’s statements led to a largescale investigation from Pennsylvania State Police. They discovered that “Julie” was actually Terrance Jones, who operated the sex trafficking organization from his home on the 800 block of Disston Street in Philadelphia, according to investigators.
Jones presented himself as “Julie” or “Julia” while speaking with potential female victims and only a handful of people knew his true identity, investigators said. Jones had allegedly operated the sex trafficking ring since at least 2012.
Jones advertised numerous telephone numbers online for potential buyers to call to schedule sex with prostitutes at locations throughout Philadelphia, the surrounding suburbs and New Jersey, investigators said. The numbers were associated with several names, including “Girlfriends,” “Girlfriends G.F.E.” and “GFE Girlfriends” with “G.F.E.” standing for “Girlfriend Experience,” investigators said.
"Jones recruited and exploited over a dozen young women for his sex trafficking organization at locations throughout Philadelphia, its suburbs and South Jersey," Henry said.
After being vetted, the buyers provided a phone number to Jones who then directed one of the women to contact the buyer to arrange a time, location and price, according to investigators. Most of the prostituted women were then taken to the locations by drivers, including Reilly, James Rudolph, Joseph Franklin and Rhaheem Hill, investigators said. Several of the women who had worked for Jones for a significant amount of time were also allowed to drive themselves to the dates, investigators said. While most of the money from each date was given to the drivers and Jones, some of the money was also given to the women depending on the relationship they had with Jones, investigators said. Jones allegedly received the money through cash drop offs and electronic transfers.
Jones’ adult daughter, Natoria Jones, knowingly helped her father’s organization by handling many of the electronic payments sent from the prostituted women and the drivers, officials said.
Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, Jones had sex with prostituted women as part of his “interview process,” according to investigators. While pretending to be “Julie,” Jones told his victims that she was going to the home of a long-time client who had already paid for their “date” electronically, officials said. One of the drivers would then drive the woman to Jones’ home. After the “date” was over, Jones – while pretending to be “Julie” – would then call the victim and ask her how it went, according to investigators. Jones stopped having sex with the victims during the pandemic, officials said.
Investigators said nearly all of the prostituted women suffered from various degrees of substance abuse which Jones knowingly exploited. From Jan. 20, 2023, through Feb. 10, 2023, Jones’ organization arranged 83 “dates” involving 42 sex buyers and 15 different prostitutes, officials said.
The arrest of Terrance Jones
Jones was arrested on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. He is charged with felony counts of trafficking in individuals, corrupt organizations, criminal conspiracy, involuntary servitude, aggravated assault and other related offenses.
Jones' bail was set at $2 million. Court documents showing his legal representation were not immediately available online.
In addition to Jones, Reilly, Rudolph, Franklin, Hill and Natoria Jones, police also arrested 16 sex buyers or “Johns” in connection to the trafficking ring, according to Henry.
“The demand for commercial sex drives and motivates predators like Terrance Jones to exploit women’s bodies for their own greed,” Henry said. “People who are willing to pay other people – and let’s say what it is more often than not – men paying other men to use the bodies of young women, vulnerable women and girls for their own benefit, is what leads to the crime of human trafficking. We have made it a point to charge the buyers in this case, because to end human trafficking, we must reduce the demand. One way to do that is to deter potential buyers from engaging in this unlawful activity.”
Anyone who may have been victimized by Jones or any sex trafficking organization, can contact the Pennsylvania State Police hotline at 215-452-5239. They can also contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
Ongoing problem of sex trafficking
According to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, nearly 17,000 victims were identified last year around the country. But that number is just a fraction of how many victims are really out there.
"The word I would use is pervasive. It's in every neighborhood. It's happening in Philadelphia County. It's happening in Montgomery County, Bucks County, Delaware County. It's happening all over the place," Sister Meaghan Patterson said.
Sister Meaghan Patterson knows the reality of sex trafficking. She’s the executive director of Dawn's Place, a refuge in Philadelphia for victims of sex trafficking.
"There’s one statistic that says about 1% of the people who are victimized by trafficking get out and receive services, which is tragic when you think that a $150 billion industry and yet there are so many women, men, children who are suffering from this," Patterson said. "It is a horrific crime against human rights."
Ann Marie Jones knows first-hand what it is like to be victimized by trafficking. She spent 14 years being trafficked and shared some of her experience and how she got out.
"It was beyond a nightmare. I can't even explain how it was to live out there and be controlled and beaten constantly and not have anything and live in abandoned houses with rats and God knows what else is out there and still be told I love you," Jones recounted. "I was so manipulated and blinded by everything he was telling me. If he told me the sky was purple, I believed it was purple because I trusted him."
It took some time before Jones got completely off the streets, but she eventually did and got help.
"I wounded up getting pregnant by him and I remember sitting behind an abandoned house crying and praying and asking God to get me out of this. Something lifted me up off that ground and I ran to a hospital and told them that I was pregnant and needed help," Jones shared.
Jones wants victims of sex trafficking to know that people are out there at places like churches, hospitals or shelters and they are ready to help.
The Department of Human Services’ Blue Campaign has a list of signs of human trafficking that people can look for like:
- Does the person have bruises in various stages of healing?
- Is the person fearful, timid, or submissive?
- Is the person often in the company of someone to whom he or she defers? Or someone who seems to be in control of the situation?
- Does the person appear to be coached on what to say?
If you OR someone you believe is a victim of human trafficking, you can call the human trafficking hotline at 888-373-7888 to get immediate help.
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