4 arrested after 15
Samantha Dunne, Digital Journalist
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Four people were arrested after deputies said they trafficked a teen who had been working at an Orlando strip club since 15 years old.
According to the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation, which looked into the human trafficking case from September 2019 to February 2021, the adult entertainment club Flash Dancer Orlando, located at 2201 S Orange Blossom Trail, permitted a 17-year-old girl to work as a dancer "without proof of identification, age, or county required entertainer's license."
The club's owner William Sierer, general manager Johnathan Johnson, assistant manager and house mom Kimberly Sinclair and manager Paul Delvalle all face charges for human trafficking for commercial sexual activity of a child.
Investigators said they believe the four suspects allowed the teen "to conduct sexually explicit performances in order to arouse or satisfy the sexual desires or appeal to the prurient interest."
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The affidavit shows the girl had been employed at the establishment since 2019, at the age of 15, through 2021, at the age of 17, and the owner and managers "knowingly permitted private performances, lewdness and specified sexual activity to occur."
According to an affidavit, investigators learned in February 2021 the victim had lied about her date of birth, telling everyone she was 20 years old, and took the role at the adult entertainment club without the proper license because her mom didn't have a job. She told investigators she also had jobs doing nails and hair, in addition to performing at other adult entertainment clubs around the area, the affidavit shows.
Surveillance video from March 2021 showed dancers engaged in sex acts at Flash Dancers Orlando. The affidavit shows Johnson was present during select performances and held the "authority to direct or otherwise control" the dancers’ behavior.
Investigators said the dancers at the club, including the victim, performed sexual acts and explicit performances for customers for tips.
The Flash Dancer Orlando owner also had her featured in several prostitution advertisements featuring her stage name under it, according to the affidavit.
The affidavit continues that in accordance with a code within Orange County, an adult entertainment establishment worker information packet must be provided to the sheriff's office the first Monday of each month, and no documentation of the victim was provided by owners and managers of the establishment besides a name and a fake date of birth, according to investigators.
"Flash Dancer Orlando has failed, repeatedly, to present to MBI an accurate list of dancers and current workers at the establishment. Specifically, in this investigation, Flash Dancer Orlando concealed (the victim's) work as an adult entertainment dancer, by excluding her from every list sent to MBI, during the time (the victim) spent dancing at the establishment," the affidavit reads, in part.
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ORANGE COUNTY, Fla.