Father, son convicted for violent sex trafficking ring in Alabama, exploited at least 7 women, young girls

Following a four-day trial, jurors found Kimani “Statik” Jones, 32, guilty of trafficking seven victims and transporting two, including a minor, across state lines for prostitution between August 2016 and November 2020. His father, Tremayne “Bayrock” Lambert, 50, was convicted of trafficking three victims between 2017 and 2020.

Both men face a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and could receive life sentences. Three co-defendants previously pleaded guilty to related charges in what prosecutors described as a years-long criminal enterprise built on fear, manipulation, and abuse.

Prosecutors described Jones as the architect of a sprawling commercial sex operation that preyed on vulnerable women and girls. Evidence presented at trial showed that Jones rented hotel rooms where the victims were forced to perform sex acts, supplied them with food, clothing, and narcotics, and posted online advertisements to attract customers.

He dictated the victims’ daily earnings goals, controlled where they lived and worked, and established rigid rules enforced through brutal violence. Jones, who had no lawful source of income during this time, lived off the victims’ earnings and flaunted the profits on social media.

During testimony, witnesses recounted being beaten, choked, and sexually assaulted. One minor testified that Jones grabbed her by the throat and dragged her for moving too slowly. Others described having their teeth knocked out or their jaws broken. One woman said she was beaten so severely that she urinated on herself.

Jones also terrorized victims with threats against their loved ones, telling one woman her son’s legs could be broken so he could no longer play sports. He brandished firearms to intimidate them and leveraged their addictions to heroin and methamphetamine, withholding drugs to enforce compliance.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division praised the survivors for their courage in testifying. “The defendants targeted vulnerable women and girls before using physical and sexual violence, along with threats of violence against them and others, to create a climate of fear that terrified the victims,” Dhillon said. “This prosecution is a testament to the courageous young women who detailed the coercive scheme these defendants perpetrated for years.”

Acting US Attorney Kevin Davidson for the Middle District of Alabama condemned the defendants’ actions, calling them a “complete disregard for human dignity.”

“Every victim deserves justice,” Davidson said. “We will continue our efforts to ensure that those who prey on others are held accountable for their crimes.”

Lambert, Jones’s father, also has a prior federal conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Prosecutors said he helped enforce his son’s control, serving as a monitor and rule enforcer over the women.

Three additional individuals were charged in connection with the same trafficking ring. Joseph Keon Bowe, 39, and Daryle Gardner, 32, pleaded guilty to sex trafficking. Aleccia Scott, 29, pleaded guilty to misprision of a felony (concealing a crime).

The investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, the Alabama Attorney General’s Office, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, and the Montgomery Police Department.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant US Attorney Tara Ratz and Trial Attorney Kate Alexander of the Justice Department’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit. Both Jones and Lambert await sentencing, where a federal district court judge will determine the final penalties after considering the US Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.