Yarmouth doctor accused of sex trafficking and running illegal massage businesses

On By Pranco

Nov. 8 – A Yarmouth doctor has been charged with sex trafficking for allegedly running an illegal massage business that served as a front for prostitution, according to police.

Peter O’Donnell, 68, was arrested Thursday after police executed search warrants at 475 US Route 1 in Freeport, and a medical office at 60 Forest Hills Drive in Yarmouth.

A medical license for O’Donnell lists the same Yarmouth address and describes it as a general practice.

Freeport police said in a statement Friday that his business, A. Envy in Freeport, “served as a front for prostitution, whereby O’Donnell recruited and employed individuals to provide sexual services for clients.”

During the investigation, police identified two people suspected of being victims of human trafficking, police said.

“Sex trafficking remains a serious problem across the country and Maine is not immune. This case highlights how some individuals abuse power, wealth or influence to exploit others,” the statement said.

O’Donnell’s arrest followed an investigation by Freeport and Brunswick police that officials said was extensive and aimed at “dismantling networks involved in both sex and labor trafficking and providing necessary resources and support to the victims.”

Under Maine law, sex trafficking is a Class D crime and occurs when a “person knowingly promotes prostitution.”

Messages left at O’Donnell’s medical practice and the massage parlor were not returned Friday.

O’Donnell’s bail was set at $2,500 and his arraignment is scheduled for January 7.

According to his medical license with the state medical board, he received his medical degree from the American University of the Caribbean in 1986 and has no disciplinary history in Maine.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Detective Rice of the Freeport Police Department at 207-865-4800 or Detective Kittredge of the Brunswick Police Department at 207-721-4312.

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HOW CAN YOU GET HELP

IF YOU or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking, please call the National Human Trafficking Hotline: 1-888-373-7888.

FOR MORE INFORMATION on sex trafficking resources in Maine, visit the Maine Sex Trafficking and Exploitation Network or the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence.

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