DES MOINES, Iowa – A federal grand jury in Des Moines returned an Indictment today charging an Ames man with fifteen counts of sex trafficking by fraud and coercion, one count of sexual exploitation and attempted sexual exploitation of a child, and one count of possession of child pornography.

According to the Indictment, Carl Dale Markley used and attempted to use fraud and coercion to cause 14 victims to engage in commercial sex acts. The sex-trafficking charges allege that Markley began trafficking one victim as early as 2004, and between 2004 to April 2023, Markley trafficked or attempted to traffic each of the fourteen victims. In addition, the Indictment states that from August 2020 to October 2020, Markley sexually exploited (or attempted to sexually exploit) one 15‑year-old minor by using the minor to create child pornography, and that Markley knowingly possessed child pornography.

Markley made his initial court appearance today before a United States Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa.

Markley is charged with seventeen offenses in total. Each of the sex trafficking charges carries a 15-year mandatory minimum prison term, and a maximum term of imprisonment of life. Sexual exploitation of a child carries a 15‑year mandatory term of imprisonment and a maximum term of 30 years in prison. The charge for possession of child pornography carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Richard Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Ames Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Iowa Department of Public Safety’s Division of Criminal Investigation are investigating the case.

Human trafficking is a crime involving the exploitation of youth under the age of 18 for commercial sex; the exploitation of adults for commercial sex through the use of force, fraud, or coercion; and the exploitation of any individual for compelled labor. Human trafficking does not require the transportation of individuals across state lines, or that someone is physically restrained. Signs that a person is being trafficked can include working excessively long hours, unexplained gifts, physical injury, substance abuse issues, running away from home, isolation from others, or having a person in their life controlling them or monitoring them closely. Victims particularly susceptible to being trafficked include those with criminal histories, a history of physical or sexual abuse, uncertain legal status, and dependency on controlled substances.

Anyone who suspects human trafficking is occurring, be it a minor engaging in paid sex acts, or anyone being coerced into prostitution or labor, is urged to call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888. If anyone has information about this case, they are urged to call the Ames Police Department, FBI, or Iowa’s Division of Criminal Investigation, or call the National Human Trafficking Hotline.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.