Guests of the Strat Hotel allegedly kidnapped a trafficked juvenile girl

Published on: December 27, 2023 at 05:53 pm.

Last updated on: 27 December 2023 at 05:53 h.

A man and woman who have been staying at The Strat hotel this month are scheduled to appear in a Las Vegas court on Wednesday on sex trafficking charges. They allegedly kidnapped and trafficked a teenage girl over a period of four days.

Authorities said the defendants, Mark Johnson, 23, and Donisha Ellis, 21, held the unnamed teen against her will in their hotel room while she worked the streets to bring money to Johnson.

The couple was charged last Wednesday with two counts of sex trafficking of a minor under 18, first-degree kidnapping of a minor, child abuse or neglect, and one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) officers interviewed the teenage victim and were given access to her cell phone.

This evidence led to the arrest of Johnson, Ellis and another woman, Alyssa Ellis, 19, who was identified as Johnson’s girlfriend.

Condemnation texts

Police found incriminating texts on the victim’s phone.

Johnson once texted the victim, “Why didn’t you watch any plays today?” – A reference to her not getting the tricks from working on the streets.

Also, Ailes once texted the victim and suggested that the victim and another girl solicit tricks on “Trop.” This is a part of West Tropicana Boulevard in Las Vegas known for prostitution.

Ailes also suggested she not work in the same area as the victim, so as not to arouse suspicion among local police who regularly patrol West Tropicana Street.

Ailes also warned the victim to “be careful of undercover officers in the area.”

At another point, Ellis allegedly texted the victim “you still need to return something, or don’t come back.” This appears to be a reference to her bringing money to Johnson from scams or not returning to the hotel room.

It received more than 1.2 thousand views

In total, the victim received $1,270 from sex trafficking over the course of several days. The teen gave about half the money to Johnson, and apparently kept half for herself.

The victim had been involved in sex trafficking under the supervision of Johnson & Ailes for several days.

They initially met through a mutual friend, Las Vegas Journal Review mentioned.

Police arrested a third suspect, Ailes, this week. But the charges against her had not been determined as of Tuesday.

It appears that the victim has not yet been charged with crimes. Police did not determine her age or where she lived before contacting Johnson and Ellis.