Missouri Men Face Charges in Horrific Sex Torture, Trafficking Case

Five Missouri men, including the Nevada, Missouri postmaster and a national representative for Disabled American Veterans, were indicted Thursday for sexually abusing and torturing a young mentally deficient woman for several years.

"The allegations contained in this indictment are among the most horrific ever prosecuted in this district," U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri Beth Phillips said. "The sexual torture suffered over a period of years by the victim is highly disturbing."


Edward Bagley, Sr., 43, and Michael Stokes, 62, both of Lebanon, Mo., Dennis Henry, 50, of Wheatland, Mo., James Noel, 44, of Springfield, Mo., and Bradley Cook, 31, of St. Louis were charged in an 11-count indictment for their role in the commercial sex trafficking conspiracy. Henry is the Nevada postmaster and Stokes is a national representative for Disabled American Veterans.

The indictment alleges that in December 2002, Bagley enticed "FV," then a 16-year-old mentally deficient runaway, with a promise to help her become a model and dancer. Bagley allegedly gave her drugs and began sexually abusing her at that time.

In 2004, Bagley allegedly began sexually torturing the girl and had her sign a "sex slave contract," which he convinced FV legally bound her to him as a sex slave for the rest of her life. The indictment says that Bagley tattooed her to mark her as his property including a bar code on her neck, a tribal tattoo on her back with the letter "S" to mark her as a slave, and the Chinese symbol for slave on her ankle.

The federal investigation began after FV suffered cardiac arrest after Bagley allegedly suffocated and electrocuted FV during a torture session on February 27, 2009. FV, who was 23 years old at that time, received emergency medical treatment and was hospitalized.

For four years, the indictment alleges that Bagley tortured FV on live webcasts on the Internet, which the indictment says that Noel, Stokes and Henry paid Bagley to watch. The indictment also says that Henry and Stokes paid Bagley to take FV to California with Henry for a photo shoot, where FV performed sexual acts. Bagley and Henry are charged together in one count of transportation for sexual activity.

The indictment says that Henry, Stokes and Cook also sexually abused and tortured FV and that Stokes paid Bagley $300 for a torture session, and also gave him money to build a home-made device to sexually torture FV.

Bagley is also charged with forced labor trafficking and document servitude after the indictment alleges that Bagley forced FV to work as a stripper from June 2007 to February 2009 and kept her earnings.

Bagley is also charged with using the Internet for enticement, enticement to travel for sexual activity, conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance to a person under the age of 21 and being a drug user in possession of firearms and ammunition.

Cook is also charged with one count of being a drug user in possession of firearms and ammunition.

Each of the five defendants is also charged with one count of commercial sex trafficking and one count of using the Internet to facilitate the unlawful activity.

The US Attorney says that a conviction for commercial sex trafficking carries a penalty of a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison without parole. A conviction for either commercial sex trafficking or forced labor trafficking that involves aggravated sexual abuse carries a maximum penalty of life in federal prison without parole.