Pimp accused of Selling a Woman for Sex in St. Cloud

(KNSI) – A woman is accused of sex trafficking in St. Cloud.

An investigator with the Central Minnesota Human Trafficking Task Force was looking into a website known to be used to solicit prostitution. The ad was for an address the officer knew was in St. Cloud.

A CMHTTF investigator contacted the number and arranged to meet a woman at a hotel in downtown St. Cloud in room 105. The officer set up surveillance of the hotel and saw a man with no bags enter the room. He left a short time later and was stopped by police. The man admitted to going to the room and paying a woman for a sex act. He stated the more petite woman committed the act in the bathroom while a second woman was in the bedroom.

According to the criminal complaint, a search warrant was executed and found the woman who was being trafficked and Shaqouia Mae Hoffman. Police say they searched cell phones and found multiple text conversations between Hoffman and other men meeting at the hotel. Investigators also say they found evidence that Hoffman trafficked the woman at other hotels in Minnesota, Wisconsin and North Dakota.

The St. Paul woman was arrested on a drug charge. She has since been charged with felony counts of engaging in sex trafficking, prostitution of an individual and receiving profits from prostitution.

She is being held on $200,000 bail.

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