Jury finds landlord guilty of sex trafficking and drug possession

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas (KAIT/Edited Press Release) – A Searcy man was found guilty of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and possession of meth with intent to resell after a two-day trial.

On Tuesday, August 13, a federal court jury found 74-year-old Thomas Ray Kelso guilty of three counts of sex trafficking and one count of possession of meth with the intent to resell.

The jury returned its verdict after about two and a half hours of deliberation. U.S. District Judge James M. Moody Jr. presided over the trial and will sentence Kelso at a later date. Kelso faces a minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison.

“This defendant intentionally lured vulnerable victims to live in his apartments so that he could force them to perform sexual acts in exchange for essentials such as shelter and electricity,” said Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas. “Once they were behind on rent or utilities or refused to continue engaging in sexual acts, he would cut off their electricity until they engaged in sexual acts with him. Kelso's conduct is reprehensible and the jury's verdict sends a clear message that these crimes will not be tolerated.”

Kelso was indicted by a federal grand jury on August 1, 2023. Previously, an investigation by the Central Arkansas Drug Task Force found that Kelso frequently distributed meth at an apartment complex in Searcy. Kelso, the owner of the apartment complex, exploited female residents of the complex, forcing them to perform sexual acts in order to keep electricity in their apartments, meet their rent obligations, or obtain illegal narcotics.

The investigation also revealed that Kelso disconnected the meter and cut off the electricity supply of a woman who refused his sexual advances. Kelso also hired a woman to recruit other women for him so that he could use them to perform sexual acts on him.

The statutory penalty for each count of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of not less than 15 years and not more than 30 years in prison. The statutory penalty for possession with intent to resell provides for a maximum sentence of not more than 20 years in prison. Each count of sex trafficking provides for a potential penalty of not more than $250,000 in fines and not less than five years to life probation. The count of possession with intent to resell provides for a potential penalty of not more than $1,000,000 in fines and not less than three years of probation.

The investigation was conducted by the Searcy Police Department and the Central Arkansas Drug Task Force and the case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kristin Bryant and Shelby Shelton.

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