(Des Moines, IA) -- An Ames man has pleaded guilty to 15-counts of sex trafficking. Carl Markely admitted using fraud and coercion to cause 14 young men to engage in sex for money. Investigators say Markley, a former licensed nurse practitioner and Ames business owner, faces a 15-year mandatory minimum sentence for each of the 15 counts.
Investigators say from 2004 to 2023, Markley lied to dozens of young men to convince them to allow Markley to perform sex acts on them and observe the young men engage in sex acts. Markley also told the young men he needed to perform sex acts on them or observe them engaging in sex acts in order to obtain medical or massage certifications, complete classwork, conduct third-party research, and for product development. Markley paid the young men for the sex acts, and falsely claimed he had received grants or funding from a third party.
According to the plea agreement, Markley deceived dozens of young men by fabricating consent forms and contracts requiring victims to participate in a certain number and type of paid sex acts, acting as if he was recording data or information during so-called “research sessions”, and falsely claiming to be submitting data to legitimate research companies or institutions.
Investigators also say Markley sometimes used hidden cameras to capture videos and images depicting young men or minor male children naked.
Sentencing is scheduled for March 24, 2025.
The Ames Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Iowa Department of Public Safety’s Division of Criminal Investigation investigated the case, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa is prosecuting the case.