Indy women accused in human trafficking case involving a teenager

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Indy Star on 11/10/2016 by Holly Hays

Three Indianapolis women were arrested and charged earlier this week in connection with a human trafficking investigation.

Ciera Beauchamp, Brandi Beauchamp and Ashley Breedlove were charged Tuesday with one count of promotion of human trafficking of a minor and promoting prostitution, both felonies, according to court documents.

Ciera was also charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor, a misdemeanor.

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police officers were dispatched to a residence in the 8700 block of South Keystone Avenue on Oct. 7 on reports of a disturbance over child custody, according to court documents. There, a 17-year-old girl told officers she didn’t want to live with her court-appointed guardian, Ciera, who she told police had slapped her during a confrontation.

During interviews with representatives from the Department of Child Services, the girl said Ciera had forced her into prostitution and that Ciera had posted ads on a site known to be used for prostitution. Some of the ads posted by Ciera were “clearly” for prostitution and featured photos of the girl, according to court documents.

The girl told police she had turned the money over to Ciera to help pay for rent and bills. While she initially denied having sex for money, the girl eventually told investigators that she had sex and had performed sex acts in exchange for money, contracting a sexually transmitted disease in the process.

The girl said Ciera told her that prostitution was a “fast and easy” way to make sure she always had money and clothes.

Ciera had been the girl’s court-appointed guardian since July, according to court documents.

The girl told police she had told Ciera’s sister, Brandi, that she was uncomfortable with the prostitution and that Brandi told her they could speak in confidence, but whatever was discussed would be relayed to Ciera.

On Oct. 24, investigators found 29 different ads posted on another site known for advertising prostitution, this time featuring the girl’s face, body and tattoos.

Breedlove, Ciera’s girlfriend, initially told investigators she disapproved of the ads and had confronted the girl about them, but that she was unaware that clients had actually been responding to the posts.

However, investigators later discovered that advertisements featuring the girl and one other person had been posted by accounts linked to Breedlove’s email addresses.

All three women are scheduled to appear in court for a jury trial in early January, according to online court records.