A Bridgeton man was indicted by an Atlantic County Grand Jury Tuesday for the human trafficking for sex of a child and two adults.

According to Acting Atlantic County Prosecutor Diane Ruberton, Markus E. Tukes, 47, of Bridgeton was indicted for:

• Human Trafficking, the State alleging that Tukes “did knowingly hold, recruit, lure, entice, harbor, transport, provide or obtain…a child under the age of 18…to engage in sexual activity as defined in” the prostitution statute—a crime of the 1st degree,

• Endangering the Welfare of a Child, that Tukes “did knowingly engage in sexual conduct with…a child under the age of 18”—a 3rd degree crime,

• 2 Counts of Human Trafficking, the State alleging that Tukes “did knowingly hold, recruit, lure, entice, harbor, transport, or obtain” two adults to engage in prostitution, one of the victims being held by “causing or threatening to cause serious bodily harm or physical restraint,” and the other victim held by “facilitating access to a controlled dangerous substance”—crimes of the 1st degree, and

• Possession of a Controlled Dangerous Substance (cocaine)—a 3rd degree crime.

An investigation by the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force resulted in the arrests of Tukes and Courtney H. Glose, female, 31, of MacDonald Place, Brigantine, NJ, on December 2, 2016. Both suspects were originally charged with Promoting the Prostitution of a Child under the age of 18—a 1st degree crime and with Endangering the Welfare of a Child, and Conspiracy—both 3rd degree crimes.

The arrest was made without incident at the Knight’s Inn of Absecon.

The focus of the investigation was the exploitation of a female child under the age of eighteen for the purpose of promoting prostitution.

The Child Exploitation Task Force located and ensured the protection of the female juvenile victim two weeks before the arrests of Tukes and Glose.

After detectives processed the two for the arrests, Tukes and Glose were both lodged in the Atlantic County Justice Facility on $250.000 full cash / no 10%.bail set by Municipal Court Judge John H. Rosenberger of Absecon Municipal Court. Glose was subsequently released from jail on her own recognizance; Tukes remains in the Atlantic County Justice Facility.

On February 22, 2017, Courtney Glose waived indictment by Grand Jury, to be tried on the accusation of Endangering the Welfare of a Child—a 3rd degree crime.

 

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