Iowa City man sentenced to 22 years for sex trafficking

DAVENPORT — An Iowa City man who was convicted of recruiting several woman for sex trafficking and being a felon in possession of a firearm was sentenced last week to 22 years in federal prison.

Kachimbe Mukanzu, 35, a native of Zambia, was indicted on 14 counts. He previously pleaded in U.S. District Court to two counts of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion; two counts of felon in possession of a firearm; and one count of sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion.

According to court documents, Mukanzu, also known as “Kash,” met Siena Ellen Cabbage, also known as “Nelly,” then a college student, on a dating app. They started a relationship and later lived together. Mukanzu taught Cabbage how to use an escort website — Backpage.com — and other sites to set up profiles for the victims and advertise sex acts for money. He also provided these victims drugs so they could work “around the clock.”

On multiple occasions in 2018, Mukanzu drove the women, who he recruited through social media and ads, to different states for the purpose of sex trafficking. He promised the women money and other things and glamorized the lifestyle to lure them into performing the sex acts. However, he was the one who profited, according to court documents.

The plea agreement stated Cabbage, also convicted in the sex trafficking conspiracy, gave any money she received from the sex acts to Mukanzu. She was sentenced on four counts of sex trafficking-related offenses to more than three years in prison.

From February through March 2018, Mukanzu and Cabbage agreed together to traffic “Victim 1,” as identified in the plea. Cabbage was friends with the woman and knew her mental health history, family background and financial situation, which she shared with Mukanzu. Both Mukanzu and Cabbage told the woman she would make money from the sex acts but they didn’t let her keep the money as promised.

During this time, Mukanzu also provided this victim with marijuana and cocaine.

According to the prosecution’s sentencing document, Victim 1 said she saw clients every day “from the time I woke up until the time I couldn’t do anything anymore.”

From March through May 2018, Mukanzu and Cabbage agreed to sex trafficking “Victim 2,” who Mukanzu recruited at a hotel in the area, according to the plea agreement. Mukanzu and Cabbage also posted this woman on the online escort ads and talked to her about how to interact with the customers and take money for the sex acts.

In luring this woman into sex trafficking, Mukanzu told her she would be able to make enough money to buy a car, but he kept most of the proceeds because he knew she didn’t have anywhere to go if she did leave him, the plea stated.

On March 31, 2018, Mukanzu possessed a .45 caliber pistol and on July 20, 2018, he possessed a 9 mm pistol after being convicted of a crime and serving more than a year in prison, according to the plea.

The other sex trafficking charge Mukanzu was convicted of involved “Victim 3,” who he recruited and harbored in his apartment from March through August 2017, the plea stated. He also posted the online escort ads for her services and transported her to hotels to engage in the sex acts. Mukanzu told the woman he loved her and he knew she loved him and wanted to be in a relationship with him.

This victim also was using cocaine and ecstasy, which she received, along with money, in exchange for sex acts in Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota. The locations included Iowa City and other cities in the Southern District of Iowa.

According to the sentencing document, Mukanzu used the victims’ vulnerabilities to his advantage and used various tactics to control them. He was violent with them on occasion to include choking them, raping one of the victims and carrying a gun.

The FBI and the Iowa City Police Department investigated the case.

Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. More information of the efforts to combat human trafficking can be found on the U.S. Department of Justice website.

Comments: (319) 398-8318; trish.mehaffey@thegazette.com