Investigators Take Down Florida Traffickers Who Hunted Women in Crisis
A multi-state human trafficking conspiracy that preyed on vulnerable women across the Florida Panhandle and southern Alabama has been dismantled, according to federal prosecutors—exposing a chilling scheme that involved bonding women out of jail only to enslave them into the sex trade.
Kimberly Robinson Gandy, 47, of Gulfport, Mississippi, was convicted on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, by a federal jury on charges including Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud, or Coercion, Conspiracy, and Money Laundering. Her co-conspirator, Chad Cornelius Seymore, 49, of Dothan, Alabama, pleaded guilty just days earlier to an even broader slate of trafficking-related charges.
Together, prosecutors say the pair ran a dark network of exploitation, targeting women with drug addictions and criminal records. Seymore allegedly lured victims from hotels, online ads, and jail cells, later forcing them to engage in commercial sex acts in Panama City Beach, Destin, and parts of Alabama. Investigators say violence and threats were routine, and victims were tracked and controlled through online payment platforms and interstate travel.
The scheme reportedly ran for over four years, bringing in money from multiple states while funneling victims into a web of control. Seymore is scheduled to be sentenced on August 15, while Gandy will be sentenced September 15 at the U.S. Courthouse in Tallahassee.
The bust is part of Operation Take Back America, a national initiative by the U.S. Department of Justice aimed at eliminating cartels, trafficking networks, and violent criminal organizations. The case was led by a coalition of law enforcement agencies across Florida and Alabama, including Leon, Bay, Walton, Wakulla, and Manatee Counties, along with federal partners like the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations.
This case not only shines a light on the ongoing crisis of human trafficking in Florida, but also highlights the power of interagency cooperation in bringing criminals to justice.
For more information on how to recognize and report human trafficking in Florida, visit https://humantraffickinghotline.org or call 1-888-373-7888.
