SW Iowa Times

A 71-year-old Council Bluffs man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison on one count of distribution of a controlled substance to a minor and six counts of human trafficking, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

Hershel James Ratliff, former owner of Jimmy's All American Malt Shop and Grill, was sentenced Dec. 16, 2021, after being found guilty by a jury July 23, 2021. KETV reported that he bartered drugs and alcohol to underage girls for sex.

The new station reported that over a period of 10 years, Ratliff was known to supply girls who came to his residence with money, alcohol, prescription Xanax and marijuana for sexual acts, with prosecutors stating he often used force and intimidation to have sex with his victims.

Rachel Scherle, senior litigation counsel with the U.S. Attorney’s Office Southern District of Iowa, said that the essential components of a human trafficking case and what is takes to get a successful verdict are the same.

“We must prove the elements of the human trafficking statute beyond a reasonable doubt to a jury for a successful verdict and to achieve a human trafficking conviction,” she told the SW Iowa Times. “In the Ratcliff matter, and other sex trafficking cases our district has tried, the elements we needed to prove when the charge involves a minor child are that the defendant did knowingly recruit, entice, harbor, transport, obtain and maintain by any means, a minor victim, who was under 18."

She added that the defended also knows the minor victim would be caused to engage in a commercial sex act, disregards that victim was younger than 18 and the offense was in or affecting interstate commerce.

“It takes a strong prosecution team, consisting of law enforcement, prosecutors and victim advocates, for a successful prosecution,” she said. “These cases are often complex, long-term investigations that require attention to detail and strong advocacy. They also involve a lot of evidence and witnesses, requiring organization and long hours.”

The Council Bluffs Police Department, the Southwest Iowa Narcotics Task Force and the Federal Bureau of Investigation began looking into Ratliff in August 2019 when a 14-year-old girl told law enforcement officials of inappropriate advances from Ratliff and the proceeding case was prosecuted by the Southern District of Iowa branch of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, according to a news release.

Scherle said that human trafficking cases can be difficult to prosecute because often the victims of these crimes are scared to come forward and report the crimes to law enforcement.

“There are a variety of reasons why a victim may be hesitant to come forward, that include threats of violence or other types of manipulative behavior a trafficker may engage in to further control a victim of human trafficking,” she said. “Additionally, victims of these crimes may be afraid they won’t be believed by law enforcement because they have criminal records, addiction problems or are at other socioeconomic disadvantages that they think make them not credible.

“Our office has had success prosecuting human traffickers in the Southern District of Iowa because we have teams of investigators, prosecutors, and victim advocates who are sensitive to these victims’ concerns and work patiently and diligently to ensure victims of human trafficking have their voices heard and hold traffickers accountable," she said.

According to the trafficking prevention site Chains Interrupted, the National Human Trafficking Hotline received 218 calls from Iowa alone in 2017.