Ex-Milwaukeean charged with brutal sex trafficking

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports:

A Milwaukee native ran a ruthless prostitution ring across the country for more than a decade, pimping girls as young as 14 and beating and torturing them when they didn't make him enough money, according to a federal criminal complaint unsealed Monday.

Derrick Avery, 42, also known as "Pimp Snooky," recruited his prostitutes at bus stations and off the street, wooing them with pricey clothes and jewelry, according to documents. One prostitute said Avery was "selling me my dreams."

Once Avery persuaded them to become sex workers, he forced the prostitutes to earn at least $500 a night - and sometimes much more, the remarkably detailed 26-page criminal complaint says. He beat those who disobeyed him with pots, pool cues, broom handles, belts and shoes and burned them with cigarette butts, it says.