Alan Cooley, 34, of Falls Church was indicted on Tuesday by a federal grand jury for allegedly engaging in the sex trafficking of a child and transporting a minor across state lines for prostitution, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced yesterday in a press release. If convicted, Cooley faces a maximum penalty of life in prison, according to the release.
On March 26, 2014 the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) was alerted that the Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office had received a tip from an adult prostitute that a teen girl was allegedly engaged in prostitution for a pimp known as “Midas,” later identified as Cooley, according to court records. Law enforcement officers found the teen girl in a hotel room in Dumfries around 5 a.m. on March 26.
The girl told law enforcement officers that she had run away from her home in North Carolina and was initially recruited by a pimp known as “Dolo” in Charlotte to engage in prostitution, according to court records. After working for “Dolo” for two weeks, the girl was allegedly sold by “Dolo” to Cooley for $250 and transported by Cooley to Fredericksburg, Va. to engage in further prostitution. Once Cooley, the teenager and the adult prostitute who eventually tipped the sheriff’s office to the alleged crimes arrived in Virginia, Cooley allegedly posted advertisements for the teenager in the escorts section on Backpage.com, according to court records.
Cooley also allegedly used physical force and threats of violence against the teenager, which included hitting her in the face eight times after she refused to engage in certain sexual acts with a customer, according to court records. According to court records, when Prince William County police first knocked on the hotel room where Cooley and the teenager were staying on March 26, Cooley allegedly violently prevented the victim from responding to the knocks and threatened to kill her if she talked to the police.
According to the court records, Cooley was charged in 2012 for aiding in prostitution in Henrico and was charged in 2013 for pandering in Stafford. His next court appearance related to the most recent charges is next Monday, Aug. 26, according to the schedule of the United States Eastern District Court of Virginia.
