Jail calls lead to sex trafficking charge

A Minneapolis man has been charged with sex trafficking and one of the key pieces of evidence was his phone calls from the jail, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced Wednesday.

Albert Lacey Wilson, 52, is charged with one count of promoting prostitution from Oct. 1, 2017 – Sept. 1, 2018.

According to the criminal complaint, while investigating a number of suspects related to sex trafficking, investigators met with a confidential informant who identified a number of individuals involved in commercial sex, including Wilson.

Officers learned that Wilson was in custody for being a felon in possession of a gun so they obtained his jail calls. They found out that he was contacting a female victim, whose number was also used in prostitution ads posted online, dating back to October. On one call two months ago, Wilson asked for money and at one point the victim stated, “I haven’t even had sex today,” and then “Yeah, so I’m about to go grab something and then I am going to go make some money for you.” On another call, Wilson demanded that the victim give him the money she earned and place it on a gift card for him, according to the complaint.

After listening to the calls, officers met again with the informant who confirmed that the victim is Wilson’s “main girl.”

Wilson is currently in custody and expected to make his first court appearance Thursday.

Wilson Criminal Complaint (PDF)