A man at the center of a disturbing human trafficking investigation who headed an OnlyFans hustle house allegedly made calls from prison instructing associates to move significant sums of cash out of his accounts.
Accused human trafficker Nikita Tyukalo, 22, was denied a bid to lower his $5 million bail Tuesday. He faces accusations of holding young women against their will at a Bellevue, Washington, mansion and forcing them to make online sex content.
Attorneys for Tyukalo attempted to lower his bail to $100,00, arguing that all his assets were seized and any remain money was lost to credit card fraud.
However, prosecutors alleged in recorded jailhouse calls, Tyukalo instructed someone in Russian to move thousands of dollars out of his bank accounts.
“Mr. Tyukalo may believe that because he speaks Russian, that we don’t know what he is saying on his calls,” a prosecutor said.
The Bellevue mansion had been a huge source of complaints from neighbors, who thought it hosted out-of-control house parties every Saturday night. But a raid of the mansion revealed over 300 cell phones, more than 50 laptops, a notebook listing women’s names and earnings, a whiteboard labeled “Content Plan,” financial records and multiple luxury vehicles.
Alleged victims told police that they were recruited to create adult content but were locked out of their accounts and unable to access money they had earned. They were threatened, beaten and restrained if they resisted demands, they alleged.
One of the victims broke her silence at the court hearing, recounting the threats.
“I will never forget looking at someone I loved and hearing him tell me if I ever spoke about what I had been through and if I ever opened my mouth, he would kill me because I knew too much,” she said.
“I watched manipulation become normal,” she added. “I watched violence become normal. I watched controlling women become normal.”
Attorneys for Tyukalo insist the charges are overplayed, arguing that he was only guilty of “wage theft.”
He faces a litany of felony charges, including four counts of human trafficking, money laundering, and leading an organized crime operation.