Summary
A federal jury in the Northern District of Indiana convicted Anthony Mayers, 36, of Gary, Indiana, of four counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, along with forced labor and firearm offenses.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Mayers lured vulnerable women with promises of large amounts of money, safe housing, or other assistance before using physical violence, firearms, drugs, and threats to force them into commercial sex work.
The trial included testimony from victims who described beatings, threats, attempts to escape, and gun violence. The jury also heard evidence that Mayers administered a lethal dose of narcotics to another woman and threatened one victim with the same fate.
Key details of the case
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Defendant | Anthony Mayers |
| Age | 36 |
| Location | Gary, Indiana |
| Court | U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana |
| Sex trafficking convictions | 4 counts |
| Forced labor conviction | 1 count |
| Firearm conviction | 1 count of felon in possession of a firearm |
| Investigation | FBI |
| Trial | Nine days |
| Prosecutors | DOJ Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Indiana |
| DOJ release | September 22, 2026 |
The jury convicted Mayers after a nine-day trial. The DOJ said the evidence showed that he used fraud, physical violence, firearms, addictive narcotics, and threats of physical force and death to maintain control over the victims.
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Mayers used promises, violence and threats to control victims
According to court documents, witness testimony, and evidence presented at trial, Mayers compelled four victims to engage in commercial sex acts at his residence for his financial benefit.
The DOJ said he initially attracted vulnerable women by promising that they could earn substantial amounts of money or receive safe housing and other necessities. He then used violence and intimidation to keep them under his control.
Victims testified that Mayers beat them, threatened them with death and bodily harm, and brandished firearms. One victim also testified that Mayers fired a gun at a vehicle when another woman attempted to escape.
Mayers also forced another woman to work in his home every day, including cleaning the room where the commercial sex acts took place.
Victim testified about fatal narcotics injection
One of the most serious pieces of evidence presented at trial involved another commercial sex worker.
According to the DOJ, a victim testified that she witnessed Mayers intentionally administer a “hot shot,” described as a lethal dose of narcotics, to another woman. The woman subsequently died from the overdose.
The DOJ said Mayers then forced the witness to help move the woman’s body to an abandoned house. He also told the witness that she would suffer the same fate if she did not follow his rules.
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The testimony was presented as evidence of the methods Mayers allegedly used to create fear and maintain control over victims.
Attempts to escape were met with violence
Court testimony described several attempts by victims to leave Mayers’ residence.
One victim attempted to leave in a car driven by another person. According to the DOJ, Mayers chased the vehicle, pulled the woman out by her hair, slammed her head against a fence, and continued beating her until she agreed to return.
In another incident, a third victim attempted to escape with a friend. Mayers prevented her from leaving and fired his firearm at the friend’s vehicle as it drove away.
Firearms recovered from Mayers’ residence
Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Mayers’ residence during the investigation.
Investigators recovered:
- A “ghost gun” with an extended magazine
- Two rifles
- Ammunition
- Cartridge casings
Law enforcement also observed numerous bullet defects in the walls of the residence, according to the DOJ.
The firearm evidence supported the additional conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Federal agencies prosecuted the case
The FBI investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Matthew Thiman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) prosecuted the case alongside Assistant U.S. Attorneys Caitlin M. Padula and Nadia Wardrip of the Northern District of Indiana.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said the jury heard testimony about physical assaults, intimidation, death threats, and firearms used against victims.
U.S. Attorney Adam L. Mildred of the Northern District of Indiana credited the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Marshals Service, and Harvey, Illinois, Police Department for their investigative work.
FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Timothy J. O’Malley said the bureau would continue pursuing offenders involved in human trafficking and violence.
Human trafficking information
The DOJ said anyone with information about human trafficking can contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888. The hotline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
To read the original order please visit Department of Justice (DOJ) website