Another guilty plea in sex trafficking case
By Kathee Baird
A man from Kirkwood has pleaded guilty to his part in a sex slave case with ties to the Ozarks.
The case garnered national attention after charged five men were charged with sex trafficking in the fall of 2010 after a woman was taken to a hospital in Lebanon near death after being electrocuted during a torture session in February of 2009.
Bradley Joseph Cook, also known as “PutHer2GoodUse,” 33, pleaded guilty today (12-20-11) before U.S. District Judge Dean Whipple to commercial sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion.
Federal prosecutors say Cook, Edward Bagley, Sr., 43, and Michael Stokes, 62, both of Lebanon, Dennis Henry, 50, of Wheatland, and James Noel, 44, of Springfield, sexually abused and tortured the mentally incapacitated victim for several years.
From 2006 to 2009, Cook watched the victim, who is identified in court documents as “FV” (female victim), being sexually abused and tortured in live online sessions and as depicted in photos and videos that he downloaded from the Internet. Cook admitted that he traveled to Lebanon on multiple occasions during that time to engage in sessions of sexual acts and torture with the victim.
| “Slave Master” Edward “Ed” Bagley (mug shot LCSO) |
In exchange, Cook paid the victim’s “master”, Bagley, for these sessions with such items as computer hard drives that contained images and videos of bondage, domination, sadism and masochism, which he had downloaded from the Internet.
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Cook was aware that the victim was coerced into these sexual acts and that she was unable or did not want to consent to any of these acts.
Cook also admitted he was aware of other men who engaged in sexual acts and torture with the victim.
He said he witnessed the victim, who was tattooed with a bar code to identify her as Bagley’s property, being whipped and locked in a dog cage, as well as being tied up and shocked with multiple electrical devices. Cook described the abuse suffered by the victim as the “most extreme” he had ever seen.
It was clear to Cook that the victim, who was referred to as “slave,” was “not that smart.” She did not have a good grasp of the English language, according to Cook, was totally dependant, meek, and lacked awareness.
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Cook also admitted that he suggested ideas of how to make money off of the victim by selling images of her torture on a paid Web site. He provided new tips and techniques of how to torture and engage in sadistic sexual acts with females.
Cook is the third defendant in this human trafficking case to plead guilty.
Co-defendant Dennis Henry, 51, of Wheatland, formerly the postmaster of Nevada, Mo., pleaded guilty to his role in the conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion. Henry also pleaded guilty to transporting the victim across state lines for sexual activity.
| Dennis Henry (mug shot) |
Henry admitted that he engaged in sex with the victim, and participated in torture sessions with FV that would last for hours. Henry saw pictures of FV’s vagina sewn shut, which he was told was a form of punishment. Henry also admitted that he visited FV at a Lebanon strip club where she was forced to work.
Under federal statutes, Henry is subject to a sentence of up to 15 years in federal prison without parole, plus a fine up to $500,000 and an order of restitution.
| James Edward Noel (mug shot SCCSO) |
Co-defendant James Noel, 45, of Springfield, also pleaded guilty to participating in the conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion. Noel admitted that he was one of the customers who sexually abused and tortured FV. Noel watched the victim being tortured and sometimes operated torture devices himself beginning in 2006, when she was approximately 20 years old.
Noel told prosecutors that even though he knew that FV hated being electrocuted with a crank phone (which was wired inside FV’s vaginal and anal openings and to her toes), which he described as “extremely painful,” he used it on her anyway.
Trial dates for the remaining defendants, Bagley and Stokes, are not known.
| Michael A. Stokes (mug shot) |
In today’s binding plea agreement, the government and Cook jointly recommend to the court a set sentence of 20 years in federal prison without parole. Cook must also pay restitution to the victim. When Cook is released from prison the court could impose a lifetime term of supervised release.
© 2012 The Ozarks Sentinel - The Leader in Ozarks News
Covering the Ozarks region with solid news content since 2005.
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