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(Des Moines, IA) -- An Ames man has been indicted on 15 counts of sex trafficking. Investigators say Carl Markley used fraud and coercion to force 14-victims to engage in commercial sex acts. Markley is also accused of attempted sexual exploitation of a child and one count of child pornography. He's charged with 17-offenses and faces decades in prison.
The sex-trafficking charges allege that Markley began trafficking one victim as early as 2004, and between 2004 to April 2023, Markley trafficked or attempted to traffic each of the fourteen victims. The Indictment states that from August 2020 to October 2020, Markley sexually exploited (or attempted to sexually exploit) one 15‑year-old minor by using the minor to create child pornography, and that Markley knowingly possessed child pornography.
Markley made his initial court appearance today (Thursday) before a United States Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa.
Markley is charged with seventeen offenses in total. Each of the sex trafficking charges carries a 15-year mandatory minimum prison term, and a maximum term of imprisonment of life. Sexual exploitation of a child carries a 15‑year mandatory term of imprisonment and a maximum term of 30 years in prison. The charge for possession of child pornography carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.