Accused Child Sex Trafficker Now Living Near A School

<p>An Oklahoma City woman pleaded guilty to sex trafficking children. She's under&nbsp;house arrest while awaiting sentencing but an anti-prostitution activist said&nbsp;her home is dangerously close to children.</p>

Sunday, August 14th 2016, 10:45 pm

By: News 9


An Oklahoma City woman pleaded guilty to sex trafficking children.

She's under house arrest while awaiting sentencing but an anti-prostitution activist said her home is dangerously close to children.

“I'm just here to put the neighborhood on notice,” said Brian Bates of JohnTV.com.

Bates exposes sex traffickers on the Internet but said Tonya Gum’s cases demanded a door-to-door approach. 

“Anytime you are dealing with someone who will literally takes a 14- or 15-year-old girl and sell for sex and then send them into a strangers home … all because you want to make some money, that is the definition of a dangerous person," he said.

Gum pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit child sex trafficking on Nov. 19, 2015 but she has since tried to withdraw that plea.

The federal indictment named Gum as the ring leader of a criminal organization, selling sex with children via yellow page ads for escort services in Oklahoma City.

Court records show, in a plea agreement, Gum admitted that she arranged sex transactions between men and 14- and 15-year-old girls in exchange for her cut of the money.

Bates said a person capable of such acts is dangerous to herself and the community.

It's why he put her last neighborhood near SW 59 and Morgan Road on notice and is doing the same for resident near NW 88 and MacArthur Boulevard.

“She hasn’t moved into just any neighborhood, she’s moved within a thousand feet of a middle school,” Bates said he notified the staff at Hefner Middle School.

It is not illegal for Gum to live near the school since she's not registered as a sex offender, because she's not yet been sentenced for the crimes she previously confessed to.

But Bates said she's violated the terms of her house arrest before and that makes her a real threat.

Gum’s attorney Elliott C. Crawford said she is in the process of withdrawing her plea of guilty.

He released the following statement:

On November 19, 2015, Ms. Gum entered a plea of “Guilty” to “Conspiracy to Commit Child Sex Trafficking." However, on July 7, 2016, Ms. Gum filed a pro se Motion asking the Court to withdraw her previous plea of guilty. Pursuant to Rule 11(d)(2)(B) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, a defendant may withdraw a previous plea of guilty after the court accepts the plea, but before it imposes sentence, if the defendant can show a fair and just reason for requesting the withdrawal. In Ms. Gum’s case, there is currently a legal issue before the Tenth Circuit of Appeals that may indeed provide a “fair and just reason” for Ms. Gum to withdraw her previous plea of guilty. Until the Tenth Circuit rules on this issue, Ms. Gum will continue to comply with the conditions of release ordered by the Court. At this time, we respectfully request that everyone respect Ms. Gum’s privacy.”

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