Baltimore businessman Charles Nabit sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for transporting women to engage in prostitution | USAO-MD

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III today sentenced Charles “Chuck” Nabit, 66, of Baltimore, Maryland, to 18 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for the transportation of a person to engage in prostitution. Judge Russell also ordered Nabit to pay a fine of $ 55,000 and a special assessment of $ 5,100. Nabit, who owns residences and resides in Bethany Beach, Delaware and Deerfield Beach, Florida, is the owner of Westport Group, LLC. and the Mountain Manor Treatment Center, a comprehensive addiction treatment center. As agreed in the plea deal, Nabit regularly paid money for commercial sex with women he knew to regularly use narcotics or were severely addicted to drugs, including a victim who died of a drug overdose. drug and another victim that Nabit supplied in cocaine.

The sentence was announced by the Acting United States Attorney General for the District of Maryland, Jonathan F. Lenzner; Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; and Chief Lisa Myers of the Howard County Police Department.

“Charles Nabit paid thousands of dollars for commercial sex with victims he knew were addicted to drugs, including a woman he personally supplied with cocaine and another who died of an overdose. Rather than using his abundant resources to help these victims, Nabit perpetuated their victimization for his own satisfaction, â€said Acting US Attorney Jonathan Lenzner. “One would hope that a well-resourced businessman who previously owned a drug treatment center would help these victims rather than reinforce their drug addiction and sex trade addiction. Charles Nabit not only broke federal law, he also used his wealth and stature to gratify himself while perpetuating the victimization of these women.

“Today’s sentencing is a bittersweet moment for the victims of Charles Nabit’s wrongdoing,” said HSI Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso. “HSI is proud to have partnered with the Howard County Police Department and the United States Attorney’s Office to hold Mr. Nabit accountable for his crimes.

According to his guilty plea, from 2017 until his arrest on June 10, 2020, Nabit regularly paid for commercial sex, including at least 52 payments via Cash App to an adult male who was accused of sex trafficking. The seven women Nabit admitted to paying for commercial sex (Victims 1-7) regularly used narcotics or suffered from severe drug addiction issues during the periods in which Nabit had commercial sex with them.

Nabit admitted that from August 2018 to May 2020, he paid at least $ 90,000, along with an additional unknown amount in cash, to women with whom he had had commercial sex. This includes 52 Cash App transactions to someone he knew to be someone other than the victim he saw for the sex trade. For example, on April 11, 2019, Nabit received a message from the Cash App account registered in De’Angelo Johnson’s name asking for $ 140 to “be gone by a good girl and a hot girlâ€. The victim, Victim 1, had asked Nabit to pay her directly, by sending a message to Nabit’s CashApp account, but Nabit refused to pay her and sent a payment of $ 145 to the Cash App account registered with Johnson with a message indicating that the payment was “for (the first name of Victim 1).” De’Angelo Johnson has been indicted by a federal sex trafficking court in a separate indictment and his trial is set to begin in March 2022.

As detailed in his plea agreement, Nabit routinely transported victims to and from his Baltimore office for commercial sex, either in his vehicle or using a ridesharing service. In separate encounters with Victim 1, Victim 3, and Victim 5, Nabit also recorded their sex acts with a Go Pro camera despite their objections to being filmed. Nabit knew about Victim 5’s drug addiction as she spoke about her addiction and depression issues. Nabit knew that, more than likely, part of the money provided to Victim 5 was used to finance his drug use.

According to the plea agreement, starting no later than February 2019, Nabit began seeing Victim 6 for commercial sex and travel dates. She discussed her drug addiction issues with Nabit on several occasions. During their sexual intercourse, Nabit provided victim 6 with monetary payment and cocaine. For example, Nabit paid Victim 6 $ 5,000 to accompany him to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and engage in commercial sex. During this trip, Nabit also supplied Victim 6 with cocaine. Nabit also traveled with Victim 6 to a hotel in Richmond, Virginia on at least three occasions to engage in commercial sex. Victim 6 received at least $ 1,000 in cash for one of these trips. Hotel files revealed several overnight stays by Nabit between August 2019 and March 2020.

Until his death in May 2019, Nabit admitted that he also regularly had commercial sex with Victim 7. Victim 7 repeatedly discussed his drug addiction in text messages with Nabit and expressed to Nabit his desire to seek treatment for his drug addiction. Specifically, on August 13, 2018, Victim 7 told Nabit that she had completed an application for the Mountain Manor Treatment Center and Nabit replied, “As you recall, I used to own MM and my ex-partner still do. ” Nabit and Victim 7’s mother spoke repeatedly about Victim 7’s drug use. For example, on August 18, 2018, Nabit texted Victim 7’s mother about Victim 7 who was going to rehab. Nabit said Victim 7 had resumed using opiates, but “seemed to cope well with crack for weeks.” On May 23, 2019, Victim 7’s mother informed Nabit that Victim 7 had overdosed on drugs and died.

On December 9, 2019, Nabit and his lawyer met with investigators for an interview in connection with a sex trafficking investigation involving alleged sex trafficker De’Angelo Johnson and victims 1, 2, 3 and 4. During In this interview, Nabit was asked if he knew that the victims of sex trafficking were drug addicts. He was shown photos of four victims and claimed to have been aware of only one victim’s drug use. He also claimed that he had never seen signs of drug use in the other victims, as he had owned a drug treatment center for 10 years and reportedly recognized signs of drug use.

Nabit was arrested on June 10, 2020, and law enforcement executed federal search warrants against him, his electronics, his Baltimore office, and his vehicle. Law enforcement recovered numerous sex toys and filming equipment, including five Go Pro cameras, from Nabit’s office. Nabit’s office also had a large sectional sofa that converts into a bed with a sheet over it. Forensic analysis of Nabit’s cell phone and Go Pro cameras recovered numerous commercial sex-related messages as well as images and videos of victims engaging in commercial sex with Nabit.

Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner commended HSI and the Howard County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Lenzner thanked Assistant US Prosecutors Mary W. Setzer and P. Michael Cunningham, who pursued the case.

For more information on the Maryland US Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and the resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community -outreach.

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