A former Vancouver man was indicted this week for seven federal felonies related to sex trafficking, production of child pornography and illegal firearms possession, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office Western District of Washington.
Dominique Terrel Gonzales, 32, resided in both Vancouver and Seattle during the time when he forced girls and young women into prostitution, an agency news release states. He has been in federal custody since his arrest in August 2020 for illegal firearms possession.
The indictment follows a lengthy investigation by law enforcement in Idaho, Southwest Washington and Seattle.
Gonzales is charged with sex trafficking of a minor and transportation of a juvenile to engage in prostitution, both carrying a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison. He also faces production of child pornography and two counts of sex trafficking of an adult through force, fraud and coercion, which carry a mandatory minimum of 15 years and up to life in prison, as well as transportation of an adult for the purpose of prostitution through coercion and enticement — punishable by up to 10 years in prison — and unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition — punishable by up to five years in prison.
In August 2020, Gonzales transported a girl across state lines to Portland for her to engage in commercial sex acts, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said, citing the indictment.
Investigators found that between 2016 and 2019, Gonzales forced women to work for him as prostitutes. The indictment charges the sex trafficking of two women, one of whom was lured from her home in Idaho and then forced to engage in prostitution, the news release states.
When officers arrested Gonzales in August 2020, they reviewed his electronic devices and found images of sex acts with a minor victim created in December 2016. And at the time of his arrest, he illegally possessed a Desert Eagle 9mm semi-automatic pistol and ammunition. Gonzales has three felony convictions — two counts of second-degree domestic violence assault and one count of unlawful imprisonment — that prohibit him from possessing firearms, according to the news release.
The case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Olympia Police Department, Vancouver Police Department, Idaho State Police, Ada County (Idaho) Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Department of Agriculture-Office of Inspector General and the Department of Homeland Security’s Center for Countering Human Trafficking.
