An intensive external investigation initiated by Scioto County Daily News (SCDN) has uncovered a deeply embedded and operationally sophisticated child trafficking ring currently active in Scioto County and the broader Ohio River Valley region. Known to participants as the “Poker Club,” this successor network has evolved from the infrastructure of the original Michael Mearan enterprise into a more dangerous and sophisticated criminal organization.
The Investigative Team The probe is being spearheaded by a specialized team from The Terrapin Group, working in conjunction with state and federal agencies. The team is led by Senior Special Investigator Stephen Komorek and Senior Ops Director Daniel Stinson. They are joined by Jenniesue Jessen, a former presidential appointee to the U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking and owner of the NGO Compass 31. The investigation has been conducted pro bono for nearly two years following initial reporting by SCDN.
Structure of the “Poker Club”
Intelligence assessments identify the ring as a joint operation between Redacted and the Redacted family of Portsmouth and Franklin Furnace. The network is described as having an “intergenerational” character, involving multiple generations in the active recruitment, grooming, and exploitation of children.
A high-ranking participant, characterized by investigators as the “Queen of the Poker Club,” is identified as Redacted. According to investigative reports, she is a senior participant in the network and is associated with the logistical operations of the enterprise. Her last known professional affiliation is with Redacted, a transportation or ride-service business that investigators have identified as providing the logistical infrastructure and community-facing cover for the ring’s operations.
The network is further supported by a dedicated unidentified military veteran who serves as an enforcer to eliminate threats to operational security and reportedly “makes people disappear”.
Operational Logistics and Tactics
The investigation has uncovered several disturbing methods used by the ring to facilitate its activities:
- Jagerville: Originally meeting at a Portsmouth bar known as Redacted, the network migrated its primary operations to a location known as “Jagerville” in Greenup, Kentucky, to avoid local law enforcement visibility and exploit jurisdictional complexity.
- Business Covers: The network utilizes the transportation business, Redacted, as a logistical cover to move victims throughout the community and across state lines.
- Covert Advertising: Investigators received reports that the ring uses Facebook Marketplace as a covert advertising channel [not directly in source text snippets, but present in earlier context]. Children are allegedly photographed in various clothing items, with the images posted as sales listings that function as a catalog for buyers to select victims.
- Narcotics Intersection: The network operates at the intersection of drug distribution and trafficking, using drug dependency as a primary mechanism of control.
Documented Evidence and Pattern of Violence
The existence of the ring is corroborated by significant legal filings in the Scioto County Common Pleas Court, where 14 Civil Sexually Oriented Offense Protection Orders were filed against various members of the “Poker Club,” including the “Queen”. Furthermore, investigators identified photographic evidence of children at network gatherings on the social media account of a deceased member, Redacted.
The network is also tied to a documented regional pattern of deaths and disappearances. Most notably, source intelligence indicates the network was responsible for the death of anti-trafficking advocate Redacted via a “hot shot” (lethal drug injection) shortly after she publicly identified network members in a live stream broadcast with SCDN.
The investigation into the “Poker Club” remains active, with the investigative team currently working alongside the FBI to pursue charges under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.
SCDN and The Terrapin Group are implementing security measures in response to the group’s alleged history of extreme violence. The names have been redacted as a part of those security measures to protect victims, whistleblowers, and the SCDN staff. Multiple copies of the full 72-page report are being held by several people across multiple states. This redundancy protects the integrity of all investigation notes and reports.
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