A 74-year-old Searcy landlord was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison Wednesday for sex trafficking and drug distribution at his apartment complex.
Thomas Ray Kelso (pictured below) was convicted in August 2024 on three counts of sex trafficking and one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine following a two-day trial, U.S. Attorney Jonathan D. Ross announced.
Investigators found Kelso forced female tenants to perform sex acts to maintain utilities, pay rent, or obtain drugs. In one instance, he cut power to a tenant who refused his advances by removing her electricity meter.
Evidence showed Kelso also recruited women through an intermediary to exploit them sexually at the complex he owned.
U.S. District Judge James M. Moody Jr. ordered Kelso to pay $50,000 in fines and $50,000 in restitution. The sentence includes five years of supervised release with no possibility of parole.
The Searcy Police Department and Central Arkansas Drug Task Force conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kristin Bryant and Shelby Shelton prosecuted the case.
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