HARRISBURG – Attorney General Dave Sunday announced that the leader of a Philadelphia-based human trafficking ring was convicted this week of all charges, including felony human trafficking and involuntary servitude.
Terrance L. Jones, 54, was convicted by a judge Thursday of eight charges in all, following a one-day trial in Philadelphia. Jones will be sentenced on Dec. 11.
Jones was the head of a highly-profitable criminal organization that generated hundreds of thousands of dollars annually. Jones employed drivers to transport trafficked individuals to “dates” and posed as a female to recruit sex workers.
“This defendant, for years, treated human beings as means to a dollar, deceiving them into a web of control, abuse, and exploitation,” Attorney General Sunday said. “Human trafficking convictions are very challenging, and there was a long road to get to this point. I commend our partners with the Pennsylvania State Police for collaborating on a complex investigation that brought this long-running criminal enterprise to an end.”
The charges resulted from a years-long, comprehensive investigation by the Office of Attorney General, Pennsylvania State Police, and 50th Statewide Investigating Grand Jury, which heard testimony and returned a presentment about conduct spanning from 2012 to 2023.
Drivers and other conspirators, and commercial sex buyers, were also charged.
All but one of those defendants have been convicted.
Among those also charged are:
- Thomas Reilly, one of the hired drivers
- Natoria Jones (Terrance Jones’ daughter), who served as a financial manager
- James Rudolph, Rhaheem Hill, and Joseph Franklin (drivers)
- Commercial sex buyers Joseph Szegila, Christopher Wood, Stephen Osborne, Pasquale Difelice, Steven May, Michael Bonczak, Brian Smith, Christopher Bello, Jonathan Fellenz, Robert Brutsche, Kevin Bullock, Boris Volinsky, Brian Nice, Gary Ames, Grady Durham, and Gregory Doto
Volinsky’s case is pending.
Charging commercial sex buyers is essential to reducing trafficking because, without buyers, traffickers would have no source of income. Individuals willing to pay other people to exploit young women fuel the existence of human trafficking.
Jones is accused of running the operation from his residence from 2012 through February 2023. He used the persona of a female, “Julia,” to recruit commercial sex workers. The individuals he called to recruit believed they were speaking to a woman. Jones chose recruits who were dealing with substance abuse disorder or other hardships.
This case was prosecuted by Senior Deputy Attorney Zachary Wynkoop.
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