More people charged with luring armed robbery victims through online sex ads
Federal prosecutors say four more defendants have been charged with conspiring to rob people who responded to online ads for escort services.
Rodney E. Brock, 20, of Blue Springs, Melissa C. Cummins, 23, and Daphne J. Fruean, 37, both of Independence, Michele R. Shatto, 34, of Kansas City, were indicted by a federal grand jury in Kansas City Thursday.
Six other defendants were previously charged in the case.
According to the indictment, the defendants were part of a conspiracy to commit armed robbery from April 1, 2015, to June 7, 2016.
Ads were placed on websites such as Craigslist, Backpage and Skout. People who responded to the ads were told to go to an address where they were robbed at gunpoint, according to the allegations.
Tony Rizzo: 816-234-4435, @trizzkc
This story was originally published June 29, 2017 at 7:54 AM with the headline "More people charged with luring armed robbery victims through online sex ads."