Niagara County Man Charged in Federal Human Trafficking Case

A Gasport man is facing federal charges in connection with a child sex trafficking investigation that began in Laurel County, Kentucky.

Federal authorities say Joshua D. Mahley, 42, of 8595 Bunker Hill Road, has been charged with traveling with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. He was booked into the Niagara County Jail on September 8th. Records show he remains in custody for the U.S. Marshals Service.

The charge stems from an investigation by the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office into a missing teenage girl. Kentucky media outlets reported that the girl was located with Mahley in Niagara County. Investigators suspect Mahley became acquainted with the teen online and allegedly paid a woman in Kentucky to arrange for the girl to be brought to him.

Mahley is listed on the New York State Sex Offender Registry due to a 2010 conviction in Orleans County on charges of second-degree sexual abuse and second-degree rape involving two girls, ages 13 and 14.

According to reports, two additional individuals were also arrested in connection with the case. Tabitha Peterson, 41, of East Bernstadt, Kentucky, faces charges including human trafficking involving commercial sexual activity with a victim under 18, complicity to third and first-degree rape, and complicity to first-degree sodomy. Kevin R. Martinez, 38, of Jamestown, Kentucky, has been charged with four counts of first-degree rape and four counts of first-degree sodomy.

Authorities confirmed that following Mahley’s arrest, the girl was safely returned to Laurel County with the assistance of the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI.

Niagara County Man Charged in Federal Human Trafficking Case