A Jamaican man trafficked women across the world for years, at one point running a forced prostitution ring out of apartments on the Gold Coast and marrying one of his victims at an Australian mosque, authorities in the United States have alleged.
Described in US court documents as a "violent pimp", Damion St Patrick Baston was arrested in New York in December, and now faces dozens of charges including the alleged forced trafficking of women and identity fraud.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) are helping US authorities and an AFP officer will travel to the US to give evidence at Baston's trial.
Authorities claim he used horrific violence and rape to keep the women - including at least one Australian - in his thrall as he forced them to prostitute themselves in Australia, the US, Dubai and possibly other countries.
Baston allegedly travelled the world for eight years, including visiting and staying in a number of cities in Australia, using a passport obtained in the name of an unsuspecting Ohio resident in 2005.
When Baston flew into Melbourne in March 2011, a Customs official took copies of his passport and credit cards. The passport showed he had travelled to Colombia, Brazil, China, the United Arab Emirates, Russia, Indonesia, Jamaica, Oman, France, the British Virgin Islands, the US, Australia and other countries.
According the court documents, Baston flew from Los Angeles to Melbourne in 2009, 2010 and 2011 using the passport. In May 2009, he also leased an apartment in Sydney using the passport as identification.
Baston met an Australian woman, who cannot be identified, at a restaurant on the Gold Coast in July 2011. He told her he was a music producer looking for talent in Australia, and they soon started a relationship.
However, authorities claim he quickly forced her into prostitution, advertising her services through local escorting websites and newspaper advertisements and keeping all the money she made for himself.
He allegedly flaunted this wealth on social media, posting pictures of his $250,000 bank balance and luxury items including a $75,000 diamond-studded watch.
He allegedly beat, raped and verbally abused the woman to keep her subservient. On one occasion, it is said he held a knife to her neck, choked her and threatened to kill her family.
While this was happening, Baston had allegedly lured other women into his forced prostitution racket.
One woman met Baston at a party in 2009, when she was 18 years old. On July 16, 2010, Baston and the woman were married in a "small Islamic ceremony" at an Australian mosque.
However, Baston was also allegedly prostituting this second woman out of a number of rented Gold Coast apartments. As with the first woman, authorities say he violently abused her.
On one occasion, he sent her to Perth, expecting her to earn a large amount of money. When she returned with less than he expected, he drove her to a Gold Coast golf course in the middle of the night, tied her to a chair, violently raped her and threatened to kill her and hide her body so it would never be found.
Soon afterwards, the second woman fled the apartment and never returned. Authorities say she is still terrified of Baston.
In October, 2010 - before Baston set up on the Gold Coast - a 21-year-old Lithuanian woman walked into a New South Wales police station and filed a report in which she said she had worked for Baston as a prostitute for months, and handed him all the money she earned.
She also said Baston had beaten her relentlessly, hung her by the feet over a fire escape and forced her to stay in a scalding hot shower for hours.
A NSW detective said the woman was the most terrified victim she had encountered in 25 years of policing. The alleged victim refused to press charges and immediately returned to Lithuania.
In December 2011, Baston took the Australian woman to Dubai, where she allegedly continued to work as a prostitute, while Baston continued to abuse her.
The couple then flew to Miami, where Baston rented an apartment and the woman worked as a stripper and prostitute. The court documents say she estimates she earned approximately $150,000 in two months, all of which she gave to Baston.
By mid-2012, Baston had allegedly lured a fourth woman into his racket. Authorities claim he was beating and raping both women regularly. The fourth woman eventually fled Miami to escape Baston.
Baston's downfall apparently began in July 2012, when the Australian woman's family in Australia contacted US State Department officials and told them of their fears about what was happening to her.
With the help of the AFP, US authorities then discovered that the identity Baston was travelling under was allegedly stolen.
Baston was tracked to New York and arrested on December 17. When captured, according to the Homeland Security Investigations agent who arrested him, he said: "You know who I am" and "take me back to Miami".
Authorities say a number of women have independently told them of Baston's sexual and physical abuse, and that the women are terrified of what Baston might still do to them and their families.
In opposing bail, US attorney Wilfredo Ferrer said that Baston had family and friends across the world - including in Australia - who could help him escape, and that he was a violent sadist.
"Not only has Baston employed an egregious and sadistic pattern of force and violence to manipulate and coerce multiple women into lives of prostitution, but he has done so repeatedly and continuously over the course of the last several years and across several continents," he said.
"In addition to committing violence against these women, Baston has often threatened to harm or kill them or family members - many of whom he has met - if the women ever left or betrayed him."
In applying for bail, Baston's lawyer described his 37-year-old client as "an affable character of amicable disposition" who yearns to open a restaurant and a clothing store, but is currently "a manager of night-club dancers".
He said Baston considers himself "a lover of women, not a fighter of women".
"Perhaps Mr Baston misunderstood women's capacity for jealousy and has now found himself in an unanticipated tangle, which has landed him behind bars," lawyer David Rowe said. Yeah, that should work!
Baston pleaded not guilty and will stand trial in Florida next month.
 |
| Australia's Gold Coast skyline at night |
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) are helping US authorities and an AFP officer will travel to the US to give evidence at Baston's trial.
Authorities claim he used horrific violence and rape to keep the women - including at least one Australian - in his thrall as he forced them to prostitute themselves in Australia, the US, Dubai and possibly other countries.
Baston allegedly travelled the world for eight years, including visiting and staying in a number of cities in Australia, using a passport obtained in the name of an unsuspecting Ohio resident in 2005.
When Baston flew into Melbourne in March 2011, a Customs official took copies of his passport and credit cards. The passport showed he had travelled to Colombia, Brazil, China, the United Arab Emirates, Russia, Indonesia, Jamaica, Oman, France, the British Virgin Islands, the US, Australia and other countries.
According the court documents, Baston flew from Los Angeles to Melbourne in 2009, 2010 and 2011 using the passport. In May 2009, he also leased an apartment in Sydney using the passport as identification.
Baston met an Australian woman, who cannot be identified, at a restaurant on the Gold Coast in July 2011. He told her he was a music producer looking for talent in Australia, and they soon started a relationship.
However, authorities claim he quickly forced her into prostitution, advertising her services through local escorting websites and newspaper advertisements and keeping all the money she made for himself.
He allegedly flaunted this wealth on social media, posting pictures of his $250,000 bank balance and luxury items including a $75,000 diamond-studded watch.
He allegedly beat, raped and verbally abused the woman to keep her subservient. On one occasion, it is said he held a knife to her neck, choked her and threatened to kill her family.
While this was happening, Baston had allegedly lured other women into his forced prostitution racket.
One woman met Baston at a party in 2009, when she was 18 years old. On July 16, 2010, Baston and the woman were married in a "small Islamic ceremony" at an Australian mosque.
 |
| Gold Coast - 1 hour SE of Brisbane on Australia's east coast |
On one occasion, he sent her to Perth, expecting her to earn a large amount of money. When she returned with less than he expected, he drove her to a Gold Coast golf course in the middle of the night, tied her to a chair, violently raped her and threatened to kill her and hide her body so it would never be found.
Soon afterwards, the second woman fled the apartment and never returned. Authorities say she is still terrified of Baston.
In October, 2010 - before Baston set up on the Gold Coast - a 21-year-old Lithuanian woman walked into a New South Wales police station and filed a report in which she said she had worked for Baston as a prostitute for months, and handed him all the money she earned.
She also said Baston had beaten her relentlessly, hung her by the feet over a fire escape and forced her to stay in a scalding hot shower for hours.
A NSW detective said the woman was the most terrified victim she had encountered in 25 years of policing. The alleged victim refused to press charges and immediately returned to Lithuania.
In December 2011, Baston took the Australian woman to Dubai, where she allegedly continued to work as a prostitute, while Baston continued to abuse her.
The couple then flew to Miami, where Baston rented an apartment and the woman worked as a stripper and prostitute. The court documents say she estimates she earned approximately $150,000 in two months, all of which she gave to Baston.
By mid-2012, Baston had allegedly lured a fourth woman into his racket. Authorities claim he was beating and raping both women regularly. The fourth woman eventually fled Miami to escape Baston.
Baston's downfall apparently began in July 2012, when the Australian woman's family in Australia contacted US State Department officials and told them of their fears about what was happening to her.
With the help of the AFP, US authorities then discovered that the identity Baston was travelling under was allegedly stolen.
Baston was tracked to New York and arrested on December 17. When captured, according to the Homeland Security Investigations agent who arrested him, he said: "You know who I am" and "take me back to Miami".
Authorities say a number of women have independently told them of Baston's sexual and physical abuse, and that the women are terrified of what Baston might still do to them and their families.
In opposing bail, US attorney Wilfredo Ferrer said that Baston had family and friends across the world - including in Australia - who could help him escape, and that he was a violent sadist.
"Not only has Baston employed an egregious and sadistic pattern of force and violence to manipulate and coerce multiple women into lives of prostitution, but he has done so repeatedly and continuously over the course of the last several years and across several continents," he said.
"In addition to committing violence against these women, Baston has often threatened to harm or kill them or family members - many of whom he has met - if the women ever left or betrayed him."
In applying for bail, Baston's lawyer described his 37-year-old client as "an affable character of amicable disposition" who yearns to open a restaurant and a clothing store, but is currently "a manager of night-club dancers".
He said Baston considers himself "a lover of women, not a fighter of women".
"Perhaps Mr Baston misunderstood women's capacity for jealousy and has now found himself in an unanticipated tangle, which has landed him behind bars," lawyer David Rowe said. Yeah, that should work!
Baston pleaded not guilty and will stand trial in Florida next month.
No comments:
Post a Comment