FLOYD, Va. – Prosecutors say more charges are possible in an alleged crime ring that stretched from Floyd County to Rockbridge County.
Two of those defendants appeared in court Tuesday.
Kenneth Tolley and Jose Jorge Sanchez are among those accused of being part of a criminal organization involved in drug dealing, prostitution and human trafficking. The investigation involves law enforcement in the two counties, as well as the Virginia State Police.
Authorities are not sharing many specifics, but court documents show the alleged conduct dates back at least to November 2020. It does involve “a number of victims,” according to Floyd County Commonwealth’s Attorney Eric Branscom.
10 News asked Branscom whether the alleged activity took place in homes or hotels and if the defendants were caught through tips or surveillance.
“It’s a little bit of all of that. This is something that covers a lot of activity in a really large area,” Branscom said.
Tolley, Sanchez, Earl Smith, Molly Lepisto and Lindsey Burnette all face multiple racketeering charges, a charge that gives prosecutors significant flexibility.
“We have acts here that we can punish activity in other jurisdictions or places where we don’t know exactly where something happened, but we can show events did happen,” Branscom said. “All of that comes to the table when you’re talking about a RICO prosecution.”
The other defendants in the case, including Smith and Burnette, are expected to appear in court next week.