Who is Jesse Gabriel Marks? NC Marine veteran, 38, drugged and abused 300 women, forced them into prostitution
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA: The sentencing of a former Marine on charges of drug dealing and sex trafficking has triggered chances of an elaborate investigation of North Carolina Marines. Jesse Gabriel Marks, a 38-year-old Marine veteran, was recently sentenced to 30 years in prison for trafficking around 300 women into prostitution. Most of his trafficking activities took place in Onslow County, North Carolina.
The county is home to Camp Lejeune, one of the largest Marine Corps bases in the country. Given Marks' elaborate network in the region, the police are now considering a probe to find out whether he had clients in the military as well as among local civilians.
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Who is Jesse Gabriel Marks?
According to New York Post, Marks was a Marine stationed in North Carolina. He joined the Corps in 2000 out of Lansing, Michigan. After serving as a 0311 rifleman with 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Marks was demoted in rank to E-1 and had no deployments. Eventually, he was discharged from service in October 2002, less than halfway through his enlistment. Though the reason for his premature discharge has not been specified, a statement issued by Marine Corps Manpower and Reserve Affairs said, "Marks’ premature discharge and rank at time of separation are indicative of the fact that the character of his service was incongruent with Marine Corps’ expectations and standards."
Following his discharge, Marks started selling drugs and later involved himself in prostitution. He would befriend women and offer them drugs till their addictions peaked. He would then threaten to cut off their drug supply and force them into prostitution. There are reports that Marks even physically abused the women at times to keep his control over them. He continued the racket for nearly 20 years during which he trafficked around 300 women into prostitution. While the exact number of his clients is unknown, it has been found that his network spread well beyond the state lines. Some of the victims were often told by Marks that the clients are Marines.
Additionally, there is some evidence gathered by investigators which can implicate some active-duty military members for communication with Marks.
How was Marks caught and sentenced?
He first came within the police radar in 2019 after Onslow County detectives started investigating a series of drug-related cases. Around the same time, the NCIS was trying to locate the source of the drugs being supplied to the Marines at Camp Lejeune.
A Marine corp with drugs was caught by the police who named Marks as their supplier. It was later discovered that aside from the drugs rings, Marks had set up the intricate prostitution ring over decades, during his off time as a Marine. After his arrest in 2019, he confessed to drugging and prostituting hundreds of women. After trial, he was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
“He deserves every minute of the 30 years he got," said North Carolina Eastern District DA G Normal Acker III. “Human trafficking is really modern-day slavery. Jesse Marks and others like him use fear, they use threats, they use drugs to either start prostituting them or to keep them when they want to leave," he added. Onslow County Sheriff Hans J Miller said, "This guy is no longer a Marine. He is an ex-Marine. I’m so glad he was taken off the street and I think our community is safer for it." He also added that there might be more predators, for which they would follow up trails from this case.