Idaho Woman Sentenced for Forcing Others into Prostitution

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A Boise woman who helped force nearly ten women into prostitution has been sentenced to 15 years in prison. A judge ruled Thursday that Gypsie Lee Akers will be eligible for parole after four years behind bars.Prosecutors say she and co-defendant Derrick Hicklen paid the women in meth or didn't pay them at all, and blocked some from leaving. Hicklen pleaded guilty Thursday to procurement of prostitution and accepting the earnings of a prostitute. The pair brought some of the women in from other states, setting them up in area motels and advertising them online for sex. Akers continued to recruit women from the Ada County Jail after an arrest on drug charges, prosecutors said. The couple was arrested in November. Hicklen's sentencing is set for May 29.