Gary Man Found Guilty After 9-Day Jury Trial for Sex Trafficking, Forced Labor, and Firearm Offenses

HAMMOND – Anthony Mayers, 36, of Gary, Indiana, was convicted of six felony counts after a nine-day jury trial before United States District Judge Philip P. Simon, announced United States Attorney Adam L. Mildred.

Mayers was found guilty of four counts of sex trafficking, one count of forced labor, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Sentencing will be scheduled at a later time.

“We are thankful for the jury’s careful deliberation and attention to detail on each specific count after hearing very difficult evidence and arguments of counsel over a period of nine days. Verdicts like this in extremely serious cases only happen after the superior investigative work of our law‑enforcement partners, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Marshals, the Harvey (Illinois) Police Department, Gary Police Department, and the Lake County Prosecutor Office led by Bernard A. Carter.  These partners worked tirelessly to uncover the truth.  That partnership allowed the legal team of Trial Attorney Matthew Thiman of the DOJ Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Caitlin M. Padula and Nadia Wardrip for the Northern District of Indiana to prosecute the case.  Most of all, we are thankful for the cooperation of the brave witnesses and survivors of crime who testified in this most difficult case,” said U.S. Attorney Adam L. Mildred.

“Traffickers rely on fear and violence to control their victims, but none of that will stop the FBI from bringing them to justice,” said FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Timothy J. O’Malley. “This criminal preyed on vulnerable women, abused them, and profited off their suffering. The FBI will relentlessly pursue violent offenders like him, break apart the coercive systems they build, and ensure they are held fully accountable for every act of harm they inflict.”