COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa — A longtime Iowa business owner convicted of using his diner in sex trafficking and drug crimes has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison.
Hershal James Ratliff of Council Bluffs was sentenced Thursday after being found guilty in July of six counts of human trafficking and one count of distribution of a controlled substance to a minor.
Federal prosecutors say that from 2012 through 2019, Ratliff used his Jimmy’s All-American Diner and rental properties to groom and recruit victims.
A news release on Monday said Ratliff “convinced them to engage in various sex acts with him and his friends for money, alcohol, or drugs.”
RELATED: Former corrections officer charged for helping Webster County inmate escape, sheriff's office says
WATCH | Former corrections officer charged for helping Webster County inmate escape, sheriff's office says