Louisiana Man Pleads Guilty in Nationwide Prostitution Enterprise That Involved Incapacitating and Stealing from Victims

Louisiana – On May 12, 2022, U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that Randy Jonal Schenck (a/k/a RuRu, a/k/a “Shaq”), age 41, a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana and Downey, California, pleaded guilty on May 10, 2022 before United States District Judge Barry W. Ashe to Counts 1 and 7 of a pending indictment, charging him with interstate transportation and use of an interstate facility with intent to carry on unlawful activity, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1952(a)(3) (Count 1), and wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1343 and 2 (Count 7).

According to court documents, Schenck met Dominique Berry in New Orleans in early 2013 and began a romantic relationship with her. Soon after, Schenck encouraged Berry to engage in commercial sex activities (i.e., prostitution) with people in the New Orleans, Louisiana area, and he became involved in the scheduling, coordination, and facilitation of Berry’s commercial sex acts. Schenck usually kept all or nearly all of the proceeds from commercial sex acts.

Schenck and Berry traveled throughout the United States, including California, Louisiana, New Mexico, Texas, Arizona, Tennessee, and Georgia, beginning around March 2014 and ending in September 2017. Berry performed commercial sex acts on multiple days nearly every week between about March 2014 and September 2017. Schenck and Berry placed numerous advertisements containing photographs of Berry on a variety of location-specific online classified ad service websites and social media applications, inviting interested individuals to contact Berry to schedule sexual encounters, many of which were explicitly commercial.

Beginning around 2015, the prostitution business expanded to include a deception scheme in which Schenck arranged “out call” interactions at the homes of men she met through online postings. While at the men’s homes, Berry put substances in their drinks with the intention of “spiking” them and rendering them unconscious. Berry then took valuable items from the men who were unconscious, including jewelry, firearms, electronics, cash, and debit and credit cards. Schenck and Berry used the items for their benefit and the benefit of individuals associated with them, without the knowledge or authorization of the people to whom the items belonged. Schenck and Berry used the scheme extensively throughout the United States.

Berry met the victim, a resident of Metairie, Louisiana, through a social media application on or about February 24, 2017, as part of the scheme. Berry and the victim agreed to meet at the victim’s apartment after exchanging text messages and phone calls. Berry was dropped off at the victim’s apartment by Schenck. Berry, acting on Schenck’s orders, provided the victim with various substances, including alcohol, to loosen the victim’s inhibitions and make them more susceptible to theft. Berry stole the victim’s personal property, including a debit card, after the victim became incapacitated.Schenck picked up Berry around 1:00 a.m. and later used the victim’s debit card to make a purchase at a Walmart Supercenter in New Orleans without the victim’s authorization.

Schenck faces up to five years in prison on Count 1 and up to twenty years on Count 7, as well as a $250,000.00 fine, three years of supervised release after imprisonment, and a mandatory $100 special assessment per count. Schenck could also be ordered to repay his victims. Sentencing has been set for August 18, 2021, at 1:30 p.m. before Judge Ashe.

U.S. Attorney Evans praised the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s work in investigating this matter and expressed gratitude to the numerous law enforcement agencies and private entities involved in the investigation, including the Jefferson Parish District Attorney’s Office, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Tucson (Arizona) Police Department, the Salt River (Arizona) Police Department, the Cobb County (Georgia) Police Department, the Cobb County (Georgia) Police Department, the Cobb County (Georgia (Arizona). The prosecution is led by Assistant United States Attorneys Jordan Ginsberg, Unit Chief of the Public Corruption Unit, and Melissa Bücher.

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