Man, 31, charged with sex trafficking at least 3 victims in Anchorage

A 31-year-old man has been charged with multiple sex trafficking crimes involving three victims over the course of more than a decade, according to the Anchorage district attorney.

Deon Damarr Daniels faces five counts of first-degree sex trafficking and a single count of the same crime in the third degree, according to an indictment filed Wednesday.

The charges were handed up following an investigation by the Alaska State Troopers Special Crimes Investigation Unit, prosecutors said in a statement.

Several of the more serious first-degree sex trafficking charges indicate Daniels caused his alleged victims to engage in prostitution through the use of force; one of the victims is allegedly younger than 20. District Attorney Clint Campion declined to elaborate, citing an ongoing investigation.

"I think it's fair to say women might be reluctant to come forward and talk about what they went through," Campion said. "Hopefully, they'll see that other women have had the courage to come forward and they'll be emboldened to do the same."

The charges say Daniels' alleged crimes started as early as 2001 and occurred at intervals, up until May 2016. Campion said he could not confirm Daniels had been consistently sex trafficking since the early 2000s, but said "that's where the investigation is pointing toward."

Daniels trafficked his alleged victims primarily in Anchorage, according to the district attorney. He used online websites like Craigslist and Backdoor to do so, Campion said.

Online records show Daniels is jailed at the Goose Creek Correctional Center. Campion said Daniels was incarcerated before the sex trafficking indictment was filed. Daniels has another state case involving drug charges, according to court records.

Anyone with information about other women who may have been forced or induced to engage in prostitution by Daniels is encouraged to contact investigator David DeCoeur at 907-375-6412.