Now, it’s time for the johns to go down.
In response to the April bust of an alleged sex and prostitution ring at Fort Valley State University, in Fort Valley, Ga., a judge recently issued warrants for the arrest of six men who were clients of students at the HBCU, allegedly pimped out by a university employee.
Unsurprisingly, the men came from all professions and vocations, including a mortician/preacher, an assistant principal at a middle school, a former lawyer for FVSU itself, and a city manager:
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, warrants were issued Tuesday for:
- Ernest Harvey, 47, of Fort Valley, an assistant principal in charge of discipline at Huntington Middle School in Houston County.
- Kenneth Howard, 56, of Fort Valley, the city manager of Hinesville.
- Ryan Jenkins, 35, of Fort Valley.
- Charles Jones, 57, of Fort Valley, a former attorney for Fort Valley State.
- Devontae Little, 26, of Warner Robins.
- Arthur James Nance Jr., 46, of Cordele, the vice chairman of the Crisp County Board of Commissioners and a local pastor and mortician.
Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney David Cooke says all the men were clients of a prostitution ring that was run on campus between 2017 and earlier this year; each is charged with pandering and solicitation of sodomy stemming from acts alleged to have occurred in 2017 and 2018, reports WSB-TV.
A warrant was also issued for the alleged ringleader of the prostitution clique.
As reported earlier by The Root, Alecia Jeanetta Johnson, a 48-year-old former executive assistant to FVSU’s president, was also the on-campus graduate advisor to Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., and allegedly used her position to supply women to clients, reportedly so they could save money for their sorority fees.
Johnson is facing six counts of pimping and six counts of prostitution. The AJC also reports that she is also charged with conspiracy to commit fiduciary theft stemming from allegations she conspired to take scholarship money from a student in October 2015.
Johnson resigned in April, days after the investigation began. Charles Jones was the university’s chief legal counsel and was fired a few months ago, university officials said.
Cooke told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Friday afternoon that the seven had until next Tuesday to turn themselves into the Peach County Sheriffs’ office. Cooke would not comment on any student involvement or abuse surrounding the investigation.
Officials announced in April they were investigating sexual misconduct and hazing at Fort Valley. At the request of the Georgia Attorney General’s Office, the investigation was conducted by the GBI, with assistance from the Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office.
Fort Valley State released a two-paragraph statement on Friday afternoon:
Today we learned that two former FVSU employees have been charged with illicit conduct. We appreciate the work of the GBI in conducting this investigation, which began in April 2018 when administrators received two separate reports alleging wrongdoing. The University System of Georgia (USG) in conjunction with FVSU began an immediate investigation in accordance with its policies. The USG notified Georgia’s Office of the Attorney General, and the case was ultimately referred to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
FVSU has promised its students that their safety and security is our first priority, and we fully support the application of the judicial process. We have consistently and aggressively worked with the University System of Georgia and law enforcement to ensure that anyone who allegedly puts our students at risk is investigated thoroughly and expeditiously, and have advocated for the most appropriate standards to be applied. While we cannot comment on the details of an ongoing investigation, we expect anyone who has compromised the trust of our students to be held accountable with all deliberate speed.
The AJC reports that after the scandal broke, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. began its own inquiry into “unauthorized activities and misconduct involving current and former members,” according to a letter it sent to the Fort Valley State sorority chapter.
The letter withdrew the chapter’s privileges, disqualifying it from participation in the sorority and all activities, “pending the outcome of the investigation.”
Through her lawyer, Adrian Patrick, Johnson has denied all charges.
“She’s not a pimp, and she’s not a madam—none of that,” Patrick said on Monday, according to WSB-TV. “She’s not guilty. She did not do anything.”