Ala. doctor accused of sex trafficking teen patient and offering to be her 'sugar daddy'
10/14/2022 4:18 pm PDT
BLOUNT COUNTY, Ala. (TCD) -- A 59-year-old doctor was arrested and charged after allegedly trying to sex traffic a 17-year-old patient.
According to the Birmingham Real-Time News, on Oct. 4, the teen patient went to see Dr. Janaki Earla, and he placed a stethoscope on her breasts instead of above them. After the exam, Earla allegedly complimented the teen’s beauty and hair before asking her to put her number into his cellphone.
Afterward, he reportedly texted the victim, "You can text me whenever you feel like."
The next day, on Oct. 5, Earla texted the teen, asking her how she was feeling and said, "Please promise me that you won’t tell anyone. I mean it," the Birmingham Real-Time News reports. He also reportedly stated, "Let’s keep it a secret and I won’t tell anything to anyone I promise. I respect your mom and dad, and this is between you and me."
On Oct. 5, the teen’s mother went to the authorities about the incident and provided them with her daughter’s cellphone, according to the Birmingham Real-Time News. An undercover investigator with the FBI Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force reportedly posed as the teen and continued chatting with the doctor.
Earla allegedly texted the undercover investigator, offering to be a "Sugar Daddy," and he sent a definition "which read, an older man who supports/provides for a younger woman (ex: financially) in return for companionship and/or sexual favors."
The undercover investigator reportedly wrote back, "So are you my Suggar daddy?" and Earla responded, "Yes. Love you baby."
The conversation continued, and the undercover investigator reportedly asked Earla what he wanted to do to her, and he replied, "I want you to play with me and own me. You can treat me like a lover."
According to the Birmingham Real-Time News, the doctor said he "took a risk" by asking the teen to be his sugar baby, and he called himself a "middle-aged sad man."
Eventually, Earla reportedly requested to meet up with the teen victim, and they arranged to see each other at a Days Inn in Oneonta.
On Oct. 11, Earla went to the Days Inn with a box of condoms, Hpnotiq, José Cuervo, Jagermeister, a 12-pack of White Claw, and $386 in cash after promising to give the teen girl $50, the Birmingham Real-Time News reports. When Earla arrived, he was reportedly met by law enforcement, and he confessed to the crime.
Earla was charged with first-degree human trafficking of a minor, and authorities are looking for other potential victims, WBRC-TV reports. He remains held in the Blount County Jail, records show.
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