Show-Me State Times

Two men from Tennessee have confessed to promoting prostitution in the St. Louis area. Martavis Walker, 30, admitted guilt on Monday to one count of interstate transportation for the purpose of prostitution. According to his plea, Walker met a woman in Tennessee in late December 2023, created online advertisements, and forced her into sex work in Memphis. He compelled her into at least twelve sex acts there before transporting her to St. Louis on January 12, 2024, where she was coerced into commercial sex acts at hotels and Airbnb rentals.

Walker is set for sentencing on March 12. The charge carries a potential penalty of up to ten years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both.

In an unrelated case, Domaniko McCrary, 33, from Memphis also pleaded guilty on Tuesday to the same charge. McCrary admitted purchasing a bus ticket for himself and the victim and traveling to Missouri's Eastern District on April 16, 2023. He then rented two hotel rooms for the victim's involvement in commercial sex acts.

The investigations were conducted by various law enforcement agencies: the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI investigated Walker's case; while the Hazelwood Police Department and the St. Louis County Police Department handled McCrary's case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Edwards is prosecuting both cases.