COLUMBUS, Ohio — A Franklin County grand jury returned a 19-count indictment against a man who allegedly forced multiple victims into human trafficking and caused an overdose death of a 21-year-old woman
Thirty-six-year-old Paul Chiles, also known as Tommy Gunz, allegedly had six victims that he forced into human trafficking between January 2019 and June 2020, according to Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien.
O'Brien said Chiles "primarily targeted and recruited females to work for him that were vulnerable and homeless and he controlled the women through threats, physical abuse, and by keeping them drug dependent.”
Chiles, from Columbus, is accused of providing fentanyl that led to the overdose death of one of the victims, Cecilia Riegel, in April.
"There are too many young girls out there being victimized by these sick guys. They use them like they are playthings. My daughter was just a meal ticket," said Angelina Riegel, Cecilia Riegel's mother. "It's too late for my daughter, but there has to be something done for the other young girls out there that are hopeless... they just fall through the cracks."
Other charges for Chiles include gross abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence, possession and trafficking of cocaine.
Chiles is scheduled to be arraigned on the charges on Sept. 4.
To learn about the warning signs of human trafficking and how to report it, click here.
