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Florida Brothel Operator Gets Life for Sex Crimes
The former owner of a Florida brothel known as the “Boom Boom Room” will be spending the rest of his life in federal prison for sex trafficking of minors and production of child porn.
On Monday, a judge in Fort Lauderdale imposed the life sentence on 35-year old James (Red) Mozie, who was found guilty of all 10 counts against him last December.
Customers paid a cover charge to a security guard at the Boom Boom Room, where the minors would dance for tips or perform sexual acts for money.
At trial, prosecutors say Mozie recruited girls between 13 and 17 to work as prostitutes at the brothel. All of the minors testified that they provided their correct dates of birth to Mozie, who advised them not to tell customers that they were underage. Several said Mozie required them to have sex with him as part of what he called their orientation. They also testified that Mozie would take sexually explicit pictures of them, which he attached to the mass text messages advertising his brothel.
Co-defendant Laschell “Shelly” Harris pleaded guilty to one count of sex trafficking of a minor and was sentenced to 13 years in prison. Co-defendant Willie David Rice pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and was sentenced to four years in prison.
