Tyshawn Dias and Shawnice Ingram {BSO}
By Ryan Yousefi
A couple faces charges of sex trafficking and living off the earnings of a sex worker after a victim provided details to law enforcement of their alleged ring.
According to court documents, a 23-year-old victim came forward in February to report a woman, later identified as Shawnice Alovana Ingram, of Tamarac, 30, and her boyfriend, Tyshawn Dias, 27, of Sunrise, had coerced her into being a sex worker and that the couple had often stolen all her earnings to help Dias post bail for an unrelated crime.
The arrest report and warrant show the victim spoke to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office about her dire situation and provided a sworn recorded statement detailing her harrowing experience involving the couple.
In March, the victim reported her ordeal began last November when she started communicating with Dias via a messaging app. She told officers that during their conversations, she disclosed her feelings of depression and discontent with living arrangements, to which Dias promised that she would have everything she desired if “she were working for him.”
Dias allegedly proceeded to recruit the victim, promising her “easy money,” soon after their connection was established, the victim was flown from Texas to Las Vegas, where she was first introduced to Ingram.
After some time in Las Vegas, the operation moved to Fort Lauderdale — and, most recently, the Studio Six hotel located at 5645 North University Drive in Coral Springs.
According to the victim, Ingram often took explicit pictures of her victim and created online advertisements on platforms for soliciting commercial sexual activity.
The victim told law enforcement that Dias would frequently post the ads multiple times daily and arrange client meetings. The victim also confirmed that Dias controlled all financial transactions, and any money she received was promptly handed over to him or deposited into Ingram’s Cash App account.
According to the report, the victim told law enforcement that in addition to recruiting women for Dias to use in his human trafficking operation, Ingram worked as a prostitute herself.
Once Dias was arrested for unrelated sexual assault crimes that imprisoned him, Ingram assumed his role and continued posting ads, meeting clients, and taking a portion of the victim’s earnings to support Dias’ legal expenses and basic necessities, according to the victim.
Dias had also taken possession of her personal identification documents, including her social security card, which further tied her to the couple and kept her from leaving, according to the victim.
Based on the victim’s testimony, law enforcement established probable cause that both Ingram and Dias were runnings a sex trafficking ring.
In late February, law enforcement had already begun monitoring Dias’ jail cell calls and, upon review, collected further evidence that implicated both him and Ingram in their alleged crimes, specifically comments surrounding the forced prostitution of the victim.
This is not the first time Coral Springs Talk has reported on a crime Ingram committed at the Studio Six hotel location. In February, Coral Springs Talk detailed Dias’ arrest at the same hotel after a victim alleged he had raped her as she slept but that she did not stop him at first because she believed he was her ex-boyfriend.
Ingram was arrested by the Broward County Sheriff’s Office and transported to the Broward County Main Jail. Dias remains behind bars for his past crimes and now faces additional charges.
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