Man Convicted in Violent Sex-Trafficking Case

Sandy Springs Police assisted in the investigation of a man who has been convicted by a federal jury for operating a sex trafficking ring in the Atlanta metro area. 

An announcement by United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said Soloman Manasseh Mustafa, 38, of Stone Mountain was known for committing violent sexual acts against his victims; binding them with duct tape; taking their identification; and committing other atrocities in order to hold them captive.

“This defendant brutally assaulted young women to force them into acts of prostitution in three states,” said Yates, in the statement. “While all of the victims managed to escape from the defendant, many were beaten, raped, handcuffed and forced to snort cocaine by the defendant and his co-conspirator.”

Mustafa and his co-defendant Kalandra Annette Wallace, 25, of Jonesboro, Georgia were indicted by a federal grand jury on May 10, 2011. Wallace pleaded guilty on October 11, 2011, and testified against Mustafa.

Mustafa was convicted after an eight-day trial.

The SSPD is part of the FBI's Metro Atlanta Child Exploitation Task Force.

Growth in human trafficking

Sandy Springs officials have said that metro Atlanta is a hub for human trafficking. The city has a victim’s advocate for young girls who have been sexually exploited. 

Brian D. Lamkin, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Atlanta called the Mustafa case one of the most “heinous human trafficking” cases in the region. 

“The FBI is proud of the role that it played in removing an individual such as Mr. Mustafa from the streets, where he preyed on and exploited these vulnerable women, to include juveniles,” he said.

According to the indictment, and evidence presented during trial, Mustafa and co-defendant Wallace recruited and enticed young women via advertisements on internet sites such as “Craigslist” and “Backpage,” luring them into prostitution in the Atlanta metropolitan area, the announcement said. Mustafa and Wallace physically assaulted many of the victims, preventing them from leaving hotels or apartments, and forcing them to engage in commercial sex acts. 

Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 19. Mustafa could be sentenced to life in prison.

The FBI's Metro Atlanta Child Exploitation Task Force

The FBI's Metro Atlanta Child Exploitation Task Force includes the Atlanta Police Department, the Cobb County Police Department, the Fulton County Police Department, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Gwinnett County Police Department, the City of Marietta Police Department, and the Sandy Springs Police Department. Other departments that assisted in the investigation are the Holly Springs Police Department, the DeKalb County Police Department, the Clayton County Police Department, and the Homewood, Alabama Police Department.

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