Re: Oh No! Chuck Berry Has Died...
His "crimes" were not straightforward sexual abuse. He was imprisoned for violation of the "Mann Act" -
The Mann Act is the common name for a piece of federal legislation originally known as the United States White-Slave Traffic Act of 1910. Though intended as a tool for cracking down on organized prostitution, the vague language of the Mann Act regarding the transportation of women for “immoral purposes” rendered its provisions broadly unenforceable. It has been selectively applied in various high-profile cases over time, however—most famously in Berry’s and in that of the heavyweight boxing great Jack Johnson.
In Berry’s case, the Mann Act charges stemmed from what Berry contended was his offer of legitimate employment in his St. Louis nightclub to a girl he had met in a bar in Juarez, Mexico. The girl, Janice Escalanti, although only 14 at the time they met was also a prostitute. Whether Berry knew either her age and/or her profession is not clear. He offered her a job as a hatcheck girl in his nightclub in St. Louis and gave her a lift to the club (transporting her across state lines - which was the actual crime prosecuted - nothing to do with sexual abuse as such). Obviously things didn't work out as he sacked her after only three weeks. Shortly after being sacked, Escalanti was arrested by St. Louis police for prostitution and Berry was arrested two days later in 1959.
The Mann Act was notorious as it was used on several occasions to prosecute and imprison black performers and sportsmen - Berry and the boxer Jack Johnson being the most prominent. Berry was found guilty of the technical crime of transporting a
prostitute across state lines,
not for sexual abuse of a minor. No-one but Berry and the girl knew the truth of the situation, so to conclude that he was a "sick pervert" is perhaps a bit over the top.
It was interesting that Berry's wife (who he remained married to for 68 years) always stood by him and denied any wrongdoing on his part.