The Nassau Guardian
Sex trafficker found guilty
A 24-year-old woman was on Wednesday convicted of forcing two Jamaican women into the sex trade, marking the country's first conviction for human trafficking.
Chevaneese Sasha Gay Hall, who is also a Jamaican citizen, remained stoic as the jury foreperson announced six guilty verdicts — four for trafficking in persons and two for unlawfully withholding the victims' passports.
By contrast, one of her attorneys Jairam Mangra shook his head in apparent shock.
The nine-member jury returned the verdicts after deliberating for a little more than an hour.
Hall said she had nothing to say when Senior Justice Jon Isaacs asked if she had any remarks before the sentence was passed.
Mangra asked the court to defer sentencing for a probation report as Hall was resident in The Bahamas when the offenses were committed.
Hall, who faces a prison term ranging from three years to life imprisonment, returns to court on May 7 for sentencing.
Prosecutors said Hall recruited two women to work for her prostitution ring in January 2013.
The women, who were recruited separately, testified that they met Hall in Jamaica and she convinced them that she could get them jobs.
One said she was promised a job as a bartender; the other said she was promised a job as a masseuse.
However, Hall seized their passports once they came to the country and told them they would have to prostitute themselves.
The women said Hall dressed them up in provocative clothing and took pictures of them for prospective johns.
The women said they were closely managed and only left the apartment in Grand Bahama for jobs. However, the sex ring unravelled when one of the women escaped and alerted police.
For her part, Hall exercised her constitutional right to remain silent and called no witnesses in her defense.
Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Vinette Graham-Allen and Eucal Bonaby prosecuted.
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