Durham Man and Woman Sentenced to Combined 39 Years for Violent Sex Trafficking

RALEIGH, NC – D’Angelo Rarhem Taborn, 31, of Durham, was sentenced on October 31 to 27 years in prison for sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion. Taborn and co-defendant Imani Jovianna Franco, 30, were arrested following an FBI sting operation in Jacksonville, NC. Franco pled guilty on April 25, 2024, and received a 12-year sentence on September 23, 2024. Taborn entered a guilty plea on July 24, 2024.

Statements from Authorities 

“Our Human Trafficking Task Force brings agencies together to expose traffickers, rescue victims, and dismantle the illicit networks that traffic in human beings for sex or labor,” said U.S. Attorney Michael F. Easley, Jr. “These defendants treated their victims like animals, deprived them of food, and threatened them with violence if they did not comply. Thankfully, the FBI, Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), and local law enforcement acted swiftly to hold the traffickers accountable and help put the survivors on their path of healing.”

FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert M. DeWitt emphasized the severity of the case: “It is difficult to hear these victims literally felt ‘caged’ by these offenders.  To be forced into sex trafficking and to have to ask for food are deplorable conditions for any human being to endure. The FBI and our local law enforcement partners will never stop working to combat human trafficking.”

Details of the Case 

Court records reveal that on August 12, 2022, the FBI’s Human Trafficking Task Force conducted a sting operation in Jacksonville after finding online ads for commercial sex. An undercover officer responded to an advertisement and was directed to a local hotel where Victim 1 was located.

Law enforcement soon detained Taborn and Franco after they were seen exiting a nearby hotel room just down the hall. When they saw law enforcement, Taborn and Franco attempted to leave, but they were detained while officers obtained search warrants for their hotel room and vehicle. After receiving the warrants, officers found that Taborn and Franco had three phones. When officers called the number listed in the commercial sex advertisement for Victim 1, one of the phones rang. Victim 1, visibly relieved upon their arrest, disclosed that she had been recruited and forced into sex work a month earlier.

Victim Testimonies and Evidence

Victim 1 recounted being coerced into sex acts and forced to hand over all her earnings to Taborn and Franco, who controlled every aspect of the operation. Taborn required Victim 1 to perform oral sex on him twice to ensure she was a “good product.” They transported Victim 1 to different cities—Jacksonville, Charlotte, Durham, and Danville, Virginia—to find additional customers for commercial sex. The victim described feeling “like an animal in a cage,” denied freedom, and deprived of basic necessities. The last meal she received was four leftover chicken wings from Taborn’s and Franco’s dinner more than 24 hours before her rescue.

Victim 2, another female, was recruited and transported from South Carolina back to North Carolina. Victim 2 had not known they wanted her to engage in commercial sex in North Carolina. When Victim 2 said she did not want to participate, Taborn threatened her with his black handgun in front of Victim 1, which officers later found in the suspects’ car.

Investigators corroborated Victim 1’s account through hotel records, surveillance footage, and online advertisements. The firearm described by Victim 1, complete with an extended magazine and laser, was recovered during the search.

Enforcement and Prosecution 

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jake D. Pugh and spearheaded by the FBI under Operation Cross Country, a nationwide sex-trafficking enforcement campaign. The Onslow County Sheriff’s Office, the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, the Jacksonville Police Department, and the NCIS assisted in this effort.

U.S. Attorney Easley emphasized the victim-centric approach of the Human Trafficking Task Force, designed to stabilize and support victims throughout the judicial process.

For more information or to report tips related to trafficking, text 233733. Relevant court documents can be accessed via the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina’s website or through PACER using Case No. 7:23-cr-0092-D.

Images: Wake County Mugshot