ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Otasowie Christopher Asuen, 32, of Washington, D.C., aka “Gene” or “Chris,” was sentenced to 33 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for crimes related to his online prostitution enterprise that employed more than 50 prostitutes and generated more than $1.8 million from servicing clients in the Washington, D.C., area.

Neil H. MacBride, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; James W. McJunkin, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; and J. Thomas Manger, Montgomery County Chief of Police, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by United States District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema.

On June 6, 2012, Asuen pled guilty to conspiring to commit money laundering and conspiring to travel and use interstate facilities in aid of a racketeering enterprise.

According to court documents, since 2009, Asuen has owned an online prostitution business – first named Prime DC and later DMV INDYS – that used Craigslist and Backpage to recruit prostitutes from throughout the United States to work in the Washington, D.C., area. He paid the travel and hotel costs and received 40 percent of the women’s hourly rate; the women would keep 60 percent. Once the prostitute arrived at the pre-arranged hotel, he or an associate would take their photograph and post it – along with details about the prostitutes, the services they would perform, and their rate – on the business’s website to solicit clients.

Asuen also partnered with Kuraye Tamunoibi Akuiyibo, 33, of Washington, D.C., who operated another D.C.-based online prostitution enterprise called Classy DC Escorts. The two men and their employees shared information about their clientele, prostitutes, and the services of various money collectors. Akuiyibo admitted that he assaulted an employee whom he believed was going to open a rival prostitution business and threatened to hurt a prostitute whom he thought had cheated him of money.

Since 2009, Asuen employed more than 50 prostitutes and generated more than $1.8 million in gross revenue. Akuiyibo employed more than 100 prostitutes from throughout the United States and Canada and generated more than $1.6 million. Court records state that both men laundered the proceeds from their prostitution enterprises through bank accounts and purchases, including luxury items such as cars, watches, and jewelry.

On May 16, 2012, Akuiyibo pled guilty to the same charges as Asuen, along with an additional charge of violent crime in aid of racketeering, and was sentenced to 51 months in prison on Aug. 2, 2012. Four additional individuals associated with his enterprise have also pled guilty and were sentenced for related offenses.

This investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the Montgomery County Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kimberly R. Pedersen and Patricia Haynes are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.

 

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