TEXARKANA, Texas–Four men were indicted on Thursday for continuous trafficking of persons by a Bowie County grand jury.
Rashaan Cunningham, aka “Fashion,” 45, Marcus Palmer, 37, Brandon Palmer, 38, and Ryan Layne, 47, are accused in connection with a sex-for-money operation involving more than a dozen alleged victims in the Texarkana area, according to probable cause affidavits.
If convicted of continuous trafficking of persons, the men face 25 to 99 years or life in prison.
The men allegedly used threats, drugs and physical violence to control the women they sold. Cunningham and brothers Marcus Palmer and Brandon Palmer allegedly worked together to find and traffic women. Layne was an allegedly loyal customer who regularly paid Cunningham and the Palmer brothers for sex with a number of the trafficking victims.
Cunningham allegedly used social media sites to distribute drugs, recruit women as sex workers and to advertise to men wanting to purchase sex. The last four digits of his phone number allegedly spell PIMP.
He and Brandon Palmer were indicted earlier this year for aggravated sexual assault for allegedly raping a woman after she was dropped off at a Texarkana, Texas, house by Marcus Palmer.
All of the cases are assigned to 202nd District Judge John Tidwell.
Brandon Palmer is being held in the Bowie County jail with bonds totaling $350,000. Marcus Palmer is being held in the Bowie County jail with a $250,000 bond. Cunningham is being held with bonds totaling $450,000 and Layne is currently free on bonds totaling $95,000.
