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PORTLAND, Ore. » The boyfriend and pimp of a Portland woman murdered by a Marine in Hawaii two years ago pleaded guilty Wednesday to a human trafficking charge.
Mark Miles Jr., 36, also known as "Meezilini," admitted to U.S. District Judge Robert E. Jones in Portland that he transported Ivanice "Ivy" Harris across state lines to engage in prostitution.
Harris was a day shy of her 29th birthday when she was killed by Marine Master Sgt. Nathaniel Cosby.
Honolulu police said surveillance footage showed Cosby and Harris meeting outside a bar and kissing in the elevator of the hotel where he was staying. Police said the Marine was later seen loading a large duffel bag into an SUV. Harris’ body was later found more than 30 miles away.
Cosby, who was in Hawaii on a temporary assignment from Japan, was convicted last year of murder, obstruction of justice and patronizing a prostitute. He is serving a life sentence in a military prison.
Miles was one of 10 Portland-area pimps indicted last year following an FBI-led enforcement called "Operation Traffic Stop." Prosecutors said the men violated the Mann Act and the Travel Act by transporting young women from Portland to states such as Hawaii, Alaska, Idaho, Minnesota and Nevada.
Miles, a rapper who recorded an album titled "Voice of the Streets," made no statement Wednesday beyond answering questions from the judge in a clear voice.
Harris’ parents were among the friends and family who supported Miles at Wednesday’s hearing.
"That man didn’t make her do nothing," Harris’ father, Marion Ivan Greer, said after the hearing. "They were trying to taste that pot of gold. Both of them were out of line and it was all done for nothing."
Miles is scheduled to be sentenced June 24. Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Gabriel and defense lawyer Noel Grefenson jointly recommend three years in federal prison. The judge is not bound by the recommendation but said he will likely follow it.
