Man Arrested for Trafficking 15-Year-Old Girl In Backpage.com Prostitution Scheme

MILWAUKEE, WI — A 19-year-old Milwaukee man has been arrested after he was accused of trafficking a 15-year-old girl in a prostitution scheme involving Backpage.com.

According to a criminal complaint filed in Milwaukee county, Desmond Taper is accused of setting up a Backpage account for his 15-year-old ex-girlfriend and posting pictures of her on the website. The girl said Taper thought she was interested in being an escort and created an account on Backpage for her.

Taper has been charged with trafficking a child and faces up to 25 years behind bars. He is currently being held in the Milwaukee County Jail on a $5,000 cash bond.

According to the complaint, Taper, who was spotted with the girl in hotels in both Franklin and Wauwatosa, told the girl how much to charge for various sex acts. Under his guidance, the criminal complaint stated the girl charged $100 for a “quickie,” $150 for 30 minutes and $180-$200 for an hour of her time. Taper would borrow a vehicle to drive her to a hotel, including the Sunrise Hotel in Franklin and the Stay Hotel in Wauwatosa. The girl had to pay for the room with the money that she made doing “prostitution dates.”

According to the complaint, the girl said she does not remember how many dates she went on, but knows she earned about $1,000. The Sunrise Hotel is located at 9347 S. 27th Street, Franklin, County of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. PO

On April 20, 2017, the girl was recovered from the “Stay Hotel” in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin in a room in which there had been complaints of prostitution. The owner was shown a photo of Desmond J. Taper and asked to identify who was in the photo. She said it was Taper, the complaint stated.

According to his criminal complaint, investigators performed a Google search using Taper's number which revealed multiple escort ads associated with that number. The number was associated with numerous escort service ads between November 2016 and March 2017. Investigators also found numerous ads associated with the number under the profile name “Winter” which is the name the girl said was being used for her.

When police interviewed Taper, he stated that he knew a girl that was selling her body through Backpage and had four to five girls working for her, including his 15-year-old ex-girlfriend. He went on to tell investigators that he "did not know what was going on at first, but eventually caught on." He admitted to giving some of the girls rides to hotels, the criminal complaint stated.

image via milwaukee county jail