Woman Known As 'Pimpin' Amanda' Charged With Sex Trafficking: Feds

WAUKESHA, WI — A Waukesha woman is accused of running a sex trafficking business involving children that spanned 14 years and 12 states, federal prosecutors announced Tuesday.

Colette Amanda Mahan, 39, faces 10 separate charges including sex trafficking of a child; traveling across state lines to operate a prostitution business; using force, fraud and coercion to traffic adults for prostitution; and taking adults and children to other states for prostitution, federal attorney Richard Frohling said in a statement.

State prosecutors also charged Mahan with robbery with use of force and battery, court records for a separate case showed.

Mahan went by the nickname "Pimpin' Amanda," according to the criminal complaint.

Prosecutors said the woman traveled to and used hotels in different states to operate a prostitution business between 2004 and 2018. According to the prosecutors' statement, Mahan coerced adults into performing sex acts for money and drove them across multiple states, including Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Nevada, Missouri, Kentucky, Indiana, Georgia and Florida.

A federal judge ordered Mahan detained on Monday before her trial date, saying that based on statements from witnesses, she would present a danger to the community if she was released.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Milwaukee Police Department and the Racine County Sheriff's Office investigated the case, prosecutors said. Anyone with information about this sex trafficking case should call the FBI's Milwaukee Field Office at 414-276-4684.