United States Attorney's Office
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that three Wichita, Kansas women were sentenced for charges relating to sex trafficking a minor and transportation of a minor for prostitution.
Khalah Beard, age 24, of Wichita, was sentenced on January 30, 2025, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska for one count of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of a minor. United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Beard to a total of 123 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Beard’s release from prison, she will begin a 5-year term of supervised release.
Joan Robinson, age 35, of Wichita, was sentenced on January 23, 2025, in federal court in Omaha for one count of transportation of a minor for prostitution. United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Robinson to a total of 235 months’ imprisonment. After Robinson’s release from prison, she will begin a 5-year term of supervised release.
Alexas Davis, age 28, of Wichita, was sentenced on January 15, 2025, in federal court in Omaha for one count of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of a minor. United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Davis to a total of 108 months’ imprisonment. After Robinson’s release from prison, she will begin a 5-year term of supervised release.
The investigation began on November 16, 2022, when Minor Victim 1 (“MV1”) and Khalah Beard were arrested for shoplifting at a Walmart in Omaha. The responding officer began to suspect that Beard and MV1 were involved in sex trafficking and the officer reported the matter to the Omaha Police Department’s Special Victim’s Unit. MV1 was identified as a missing minor who was a ward of the state of Kansas. At the time of this incident, she was only 17 years old.
As the Omaha Police Department and agents with Homeland Security Investigations investigated this matter further, it was determined that on November 12, 2022, Robinson, Khalah Beard, Alexas Davis, and MV1 drove from Wichita to Omaha so that Beard, Davis, and MV1 could engage in prostitution at Robinson’s direction. They checked into adjoining hotel rooms in Omaha, which were booked by Robinson using her Priceline account. Photos of MV1 and Beard were placed on websites advertising that they were in Omaha and available for commercial sex acts. Davis kept track of Beard and MV1, and Davis would report to Robinson about when MV1 and Beard would have “dates.” Davis was charged with making sure Robinson was receiving her share of the proceeds from the acts of prostitution. A dispute among the group arose as to whether Robinson was receiving her full share of the proceeds. Robinson and Davis then returned to Wichita, abandoning MV1 and Beard in Omaha. When MV1 and Beard were contacted by police at Walmart on November 16, 2022, Robinson and Davis had already returned to Wichita.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Omaha Police Department, and the Wichita Police Department.