Coralville Woman Accused of Pimping Her Sister Pleads Guilty

By Vanessa Miller, Reporter

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By Richard Pratt

Story Created: Jul 16, 2012 at 11:55 AM CDT

Story Updated: Jul 16, 2012 at 12:08 PM CDT

CORALVILLE, Iowa - A 21-year-old woman accused of using her teenage sister in a sex trafficking business before she was arrested in April as part of a sting in Coralville that caught 17 people has entered a guilty plea and is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 10.

Melody MCullom, of Waterloo, originally was arrested on suspicion of felony pimping, pandering involving a minor, human trafficking and prostitution after she admitted to running an online business that makes thousands of dollars a week, according to police.

McCullom also admitted to using her 16-year-old sister in the business and taking money from the teen, police reported.

McCullom, according to an original criminal complaint, is accused of creating an Internet page for her younger sister that advertised her availability for “meetings.” She admitted, at the time, to at least two recent occasions where her sister committed sexual acts with men, police reported.

Many of the other 17 people arrested in April as part of the sting faced a single prostitution charge. Those suspects came from 12 communities as far away as Milwaukee, Wis., and they ranged in age from 20 to 58.

It’s unclear at this time what charges McCullom pleaded guilty to and what type of sentence she might face when she faces a judge in September.