A youth leader, a coach, and a volunteer firefighter are among nearly a dozen men facing felony charges as part of a four-day human trafficking operation in Kingsport. Special agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation along with the Kingsport Police Department, 2nd Judicial District Drug Task Force, Sullivan County District Attorney’s Office, and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the undercover operation to identify potential victims of trafficking and arrest those seeking to purchase illicit sex from a juvenile. The Kingsport anti-trafficking operation, called “Operation Someone Like Me”, is the 10th of its kind in the state between the TBI and partner agencies to help identify, investigate, and prosecute trafficking. The operation took place July 31st – August 3rd with the first three days focusing entirely on targeting those attempting to purchase illicit sex from minors. Over the three-day period, undercover special agents posing as juvenile girls posted ads on Backpage.com. As a result, Agents received numerous texts and phone calls from men across Tennessee and in surrounding states. A total of eleven men responded and paid to have sex with an underage female. Those arrested include a local coach, a church youth leader, an emergency medical technician, and an Uber driver.

“Human trafficking is a growing problem in our nation, and in the State of Tennessee. East Tennessee is no exception,” says Kingsport Police Chief David Quillin. “It is our hope that through partnerships with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and other law enforcement entities, the Kingsport Police Department can help bring those individuals who engage in this unspeakable crime to justice.”

Since “Operation Someone Like Me” began in May 2015, there have been over 200 arrests/ citations. The investigation was conducted in Brentwood, Clarksville, Jackson, Chattanooga (twice, once in conjunction with Georgia Bureau of Investigation), Knoxville, Nashville, Morristown, Memphis, Dyersburg, and Kingsport. As a result of “Operation Someone Like Me” in Kingsport, 12 individuals were charged, including 11 men and 1 woman.

Those charged during the operation are below. One individual indicted as part of the investigation has not yet been arrested.
Gregory W. Hart, DOB 12/21/55, Johnson City, TN – Trafficking a Person for a Commercial Sex Act (A Felony). $100,000 bond.
Bradley C. Laws, DOB 1/10/75, Green Mountain, NC – Trafficking a Person for a Commercial Sex Act (A Felony) and Trafficking a Person for a Commercial Sex Act (B Felony). $100,000 bond.
Samuel Adam McMurry, DOB 9/20/94, Johnson City, TN – Trafficking a Person for a Commercial Sex Act (A Felony) and Trafficking a Person for a Commercial Sex Act (B Felony). $100,000 bond.
Brandon R. Summey, (DOB 8/3/85), Kingsport, TN – Trafficking a Person for a Commercial Sex Act (B Felony). $75,000 bond.
Jose Alejandro Rivero, DOB 11/22/97, Elizabethton, TN – Trafficking a Person for a Commercial Sex Act (B Felony). $75,000 bond.
Joseph D. Miller, DOB 5/12/80, Bristol, TN – Trafficking a Person for a Commercial Sex Act (A Felony) and Trafficking a Person for a Commercial Sex Act (B Felony). $100,000 bond.
Israel Cueva Morales, DOB 8/8/95, Johnson City, TN – Trafficking a Person for a Commercial Sex Act (A Felony). $100,000 bond.
Matthew S. Still, DOB 12/4/86, Jonesborough, TN – Trafficking a Person for a Commercial Sex Act (A Felony), Trafficking a Person for a Commercial Sex Act (B Felony), and Sexual Battery. $125,000 bond.
Christopher K. Ginley, DOB 4/5/96, Jonesborough, TN – Trafficking a Person for a Commercial Sex Act (A Felony) and Trafficking a Person for a Commercial Sex Act (B Felony). $100,000 bond.
Kevin J. White, DOB 4/21/73, Kingsport, TN – Trafficking a Person for a Commercial Sex Act (B Felony). $10,000 bond.
Maegen J. Manis, DOB 9/22/87, Kingsport, TN – Prostitution