Mississauga man faces additional human trafficking charges as third victim comes forward
Elijah Benjamin arrested three times in recent weeks; police believe there may be more victims after investigation into dating-app deception scheme.
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A Mississauga man is facing additional charges in a human trafficking investigation after a third alleged victim came forward, Toronto police said Friday.
Elijah Benjamin, 36, surrendered to authorities and has now been arrested three times in recent weeks—on July 22, July 30, and August 14. Police allege he met all three victims on an online dating app.
In the first case, police say Benjamin trafficked a 32-year-old woman through deception, coercion, and control. He forced the victim to take sexualized pictures distributed online and kept the money she earned. In a second case, he allegedly committed identical offences against another 32-year-old woman.
On July 30, Benjamin was charged with procuring, trafficking in persons by recruiting, advertising another person's sexual services, living on avails of prostitution, material benefit from sexual services, assault with a weapon, and two counts of assault.
The third case, in August, involved a 31-year-old woman. Police allege Benjamin attempted to recruit her into the sex trade through coercion and control and sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions. He was charged with two counts of sexual assault and procuring.
Benjamin was previously known as Eric Smart and uses aliases Jay and Jason. Police believe there may be additional victims and encourage them to come forward. Anyone with information is urged to contact police.
How many other victims might there be, and what screening process is in place to identify them?
What led police to identify the pawn shop and the secondary criminal operation?
We'll update this story as answers emerge.
The facts
How many times has Elijah Benjamin been arrested?
Elijah Benjamin has been arrested three times in recent weeks—on July 22, July 30, and August 14.
How did Elijah Benjamin meet his victims?
Elijah Benjamin met all three alleged victims on an online dating app.
What did Elijah Benjamin do with the money his victims earned?
Elijah Benjamin kept the money that his victims earned from sexualized pictures he forced them to take and distributed online.
What other names has Elijah Benjamin used?
Elijah Benjamin was previously known as Eric Smart and uses the aliases Jay and Jason.
