NORFOLK, Va. — A California man pleaded guilty on Friday to organizing and running a methamphetamine trafficking ring and commercial sex ring, with co-conspirators from the Tidewater area, from his prison cell.
Court documents said 42-year-old Foster Shane Gaines was serving an eight-year sentence in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation in Sacramento for prostituting an adult woman.
Starting in 2016, Gaines launched a drug trafficking organization that distributed methamphetamine a supplier in California to his co-conspirators in the Tidewater area. Using cellphones smuggled into the prison, Gaines directed co-conspirators in California, Nevada, and other places to mail parcels of methamphetamine to co-conspirators in Chesapeake, Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Petersburg, and others.
Court documents said once the methamphetamine was distributed to customers that Gaines, at times, personally arranged using his contraband cellphones, the co-conspirators would give Gaines and the funds through prepaid card or bulk cash sent through the mail.
“Gaines didn’t learn his lesson. Even though he was already serving a prison sentence in California, he brazenly used contraband cell phones to lead a meth and sex trafficking conspiracy while incarcerated,” said Michael K. Lamonea, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations Norfolk. “Thanks to HSI and our law enforcement partners, we were able to take down this drug and sex trafficking ring and rescue multiple minor victims.”
On top of the methamphetamine trafficking, Gaines also organized and led a commercial sex ring, that at times involved approximately 10 adult females and two juvenile girls, according to court documents.
With his smuggled cell phones, he would recruit women and girls to work as prostitutes. He would contact them over social media.
In exchange for 40 to 50 percent of their commercial sex proceeds, Gaines created online advertisements for commercial sex, rented hotel and motel rooms, communicated with customers, organized transportation, and managed their commercial sex activities.
Court documents said Gaines even arranged for a professional photographer to take sexually suggestive photographs of some women for use on the advertisements he created. Gaines would frequently directed his co-conspirators to provide cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana, and other drugs to the women and girls prostituting.
Gaines would also received the profits from the prostitutes through bulk cash mailings or prepaid stored-value cards.
On Friday, Gaines pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, commonly known as “ice,” and 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine, and sex trafficking of a child.
Each charge carries a mandatory minimum term of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison when sentenced on Jan. 31, 2020.