A Florida strip club is under investigation for endangering and sex trafficking a minor who worked as a dancer.
Since the age of 15, an Orlando girl, now 17, has been the subject of a sex trafficking investigation at the Flash Dancer Orlando adult entertainment club.
Four suspects were arrested, including club owner William Sierer, general manager Johnathan Johnson, assistant manager and her mother Kimberly Sinclair, and manager Paul Delvalle, all of whom face charges of human trafficking for commercial sexual activity of a child, Local 10 reported.
The Florida club, located on 2201 S Orange Blossom Trail, is 30 minutes away from Walt Disney World in reasonable drive distance.
According to the affidavit, it was revealed that the teen had lost her innocence and was coerced into performing sexual acts because her mother was unemployed. Investigators learned that in February 2021, the teen lied about her age, saying she was 20 when she was 17. In 2019, when she was first employed, she was 15.
It goes without saying that in Florida, strippers must be at least 18 years old to work in an adult entertainment establishment.
The little girl’s other jobs included working as a nail technician and hairstylist, in addition to being an underage sex worker. Again, her unemployed mother is accused of “knowingly permitted private performances, lewdness, and specified sexual activity to occur,” the affidavit states.
In March 2021, the affidavit reports that surveillance footage captured dancers engaging in sex acts at Flash Dancers Orlando, with Johnson as the ring leader, present during select performances, and having the “authority to direct or otherwise control” the dancers’ behavior.
Although it is an insensitive stereotype, these abused strippers earned tips at Flash Dancer Orlando after being trained and advertised to perform sexual acts for their customers. The minor operating under a stage name in prostitution advertisements was allegedly no different from any other type of sex worker, according to the affidavit.
The owner and manager suspiciously avoided the teen’s required paperwork, a worker information packet that is in accordance with the county sheriff’s office to prevent sex and child trafficking.
The girl provided no documentation other than a name and a false date of birth, investigators said.
“Flash Dancer Orlando has failed, repeatedly, to present to MBI an accurate list of dancers and current workers at the establishment. Specifically, in this investigation, Flash Dancer Orlando concealed (the victim’s) work as an adult entertainment dancer, by excluding her from every list sent to MBI, during the time (the victim) spent dancing at the establishment,” the affidavit reads.
