A federal jury has convicted a 36-year-old Gary man of sex trafficking four women, forcing a fifth into labor, and illegally possessing a firearm, capping a nine-day trial that detailed violence at his residence. Anthony Mayers will be sentenced at a later date.
The case originated far from federal court. As reported by WRTV, prosecutors said Mayers lured vulnerable women with promises of large amounts of money, safe housing, or other necessities, then used physical violence, firearms, drugs, and threats to force four women into commercial sex at his residence for his own financial benefit, according to court documents cited in the outlet's report. That residence sat in the 2500 block of Jefferson Street in Gary.
According to the NWI Times, the investigation traces back to November 2023, when Gary Police officers responded to a call relayed by the Lake County Central Dispatcher from a woman with a broken nose. That emergency response led to Mayers' initial arrest on seven local felony charges; he was later prosecuted federally.
Testimony Described a Fatal Overdose and a Forced Cover-Up
The most disturbing testimony centered on the death of a woman inside the home. Per the Department of Justice, victim testimony during the nine-day trial revealed that Mayers administered a lethal dose of narcotics — a “hot shot” — to a heroin-addicted woman in front of another victim, then forced that witness to help him haul the deceased woman's body to an abandoned house under threat of death. WRTV's reporting adds that prosecutors said Mayers threatened the surviving witness with the same fate if she did not follow his rules.
Federal prosecutors also clarified an important legal distinction in the case, per the same Justice Department release: while Mayers was convicted of sex trafficking four women, his separate forced labor conviction pertained to a fifth victim. That woman was coerced through beatings and death threats into cleaning his residence, specifically the room where commercial sex occurred, according to the department.
Gunfire, Bullet Holes and a Recovered Ghost Gun
Trial evidence also detailed violent efforts to stop victims from escaping. The Tampa Free Press reports that Mayers chased a car, pulled one woman out by her hair, and smashed her head into a fence. WRTV reports that Mayers beat one woman until she agreed to return after she tried to leave in a car. Separately, WRTV reported that he prevented another woman from escaping with a friend and fired at the friend's car.
Investigators later searched Mayers' residence and recovered a ghost gun with an extended magazine, two rifles, ammunition, and cartridge casings, according to WRTV. Numerous bullet defects were found in the walls, prosecutors said, and the Tampa Free Press reports that bullet holes were discovered inside the home.
A Multi-Agency Case Built Across State Lines
The prosecution reflected cooperation among local, state, and federal agencies. The Department of Justice says the FBI investigated the case and quotes officials thanking the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Harvey, Illinois, Police Department. WRTV separately confirmed that the FBI, ATF, U.S. Marshals Service, and Harvey Police Department all took part in investigating the case.
The case was prosecuted in the Northern District of Indiana, according to the Department of Justice. Trial Attorney Matthew Thiman of the DOJ Criminal Division's Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section prosecuted the case alongside Assistant U.S. Attorneys Caitlin M. Padula and Nadia Wardrip, the department said.
Part of a Broader Regional Crackdown
Mayers' conviction lands amid what federal officials describe as an intensified push against violent crime and human exploitation across the region. U.S. Attorney Adam L. Mildred reported in May that the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Indiana brought 80% more indictments and charged twice as many defendants in early 2026 compared with the same period the year before, according to the Department of Justice.
Mayers is expected to be sentenced at a later date, WRTV reports.
