DES MOINES — An Iowa man faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and up to life behind bars after a federal jury convicted him of sex trafficking, drug distribution and related crimes in what prosecutors described as a violent exploitation scheme targeting vulnerable women.
Dave Shumpert III, 30, of Des Moines, was convicted Thursday, June 11, 2026, in the Southern District of Iowa, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Federal prosecutors said Shumpert (pictured at top), aided by co-defendant Haley Morrison, 30, also of Des Moines, coerced three women to perform commercial sex acts through physical force, threats, a coercive debt scheme, withholding drugs and other threats of harm.
According to evidence presented at trial, Shumpert and Morrison targeted young homeless women struggling with drug addiction. Prosecutors said the pair provided the women with shelter and drugs, then used violence and coercion to compel them into commercial sex.
Authorities said Shumpert and Morrison advertised the women online, set prices for commercial sex acts, communicated with sex buyers, rented hotel rooms and kept most of the proceeds.
“This case represents some of the most egregious forms of exploitation — using violence, threats, drugs and weaponized addiction to force vulnerable women into commercial sex,” Acting Special Agent in Charge Rick Sabatini of Homeland Security Investigations Kansas City Field Office said in the DOJ announcement.
Federal officials said electronic communications showed Shumpert directed Morrison on how to manage and control the victims. One victim testified about violence used by Morrison, including closed-fist strikes and being dragged by the hair.
Prosecutors said victims described fearing homelessness, drug withdrawal and debt to Shumpert.
The government said Shumpert continued the trafficking scheme even after he was arrested. According to the DOJ, Shumpert placed thousands of calls to Morrison from jail to discuss the commercial sex business and received more than $32,000 in commissary accounts from proceeds tied to the victims’ commercial sex acts.
Federal officials also said Shumpert tried to intimidate and threaten a government witness while incarcerated by having someone outside the jail post threatening messages on his social media accounts.
A jury convicted Shumpert on all eight charged counts: three counts of sex trafficking, conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, obstruction of a sex trafficking prosecution, distribution of a controlled dangerous substance to a person under 21, conspiracy to distribute a controlled dangerous substance, and interstate travel in aid of racketeering.
A sentencing date has not yet been set. A federal judge will determine Shumpert’s sentence after considering federal sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
Morrison previously pleaded guilty to sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion on November 25, 2025. She is scheduled to be sentenced July 7.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the Des Moines Police Department.
Trial Attorney Slava Kuperstein of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Jennings for the Southern District of Iowa are prosecuting the case.
Anyone with information about human trafficking is urged to contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888. The hotline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.