Former SLC IT employee now being charged with sex trafficking in addition to giving data to trafficker

SALT LAKE CITY — A former information technology employee for Salt Lake City who was arrested previously, is now being charged with human trafficking.

Patrick Kevin Driscoll, 50, of Salt Lake City now faces multiple charges after allegedly providing confidential information about law enforcement to the man running a sex trafficking scheme and as most recently discovered, benefitting from the scheme himself.

Driscoll provided crucial, confidential information about law enforcement to a man from Bountiful, Michael Ricks, who ran a sex trafficking and drug scheme for many months.

Ricks was charged on Oct. 7 with 15 felonies and misdemeanors related to human trafficking and drug distribution according to court documents. Ricks began trafficking women that were often involved in the commercial sex industry, and then made them reliant on him soon after they began working for him.

Driscoll was originally booked into Salt Lake County Jail on Oct. 20 for two felony counts of computer crimes, obstructing justice, theft, exploiting prostitution and aiding prostitution.

On Tuesday however, court documents state that Driscoll would now be charged with one count of aggravated human trafficking — a first-degree felony, three counts of obstructing justice, two felony counts of computer crimes, exploiting prostitution, aiding prostitution and a pattern of unlawful activity.

New information reveals that not only was Driscoll involved in supplying information but that he was aware of the scheme Ricks was running and often benefitted financially from the scheme. Driscoll was also given direct access to Ricks’ victims in exchange for information.

According to text messages between Ricks and Driscoll listed in court documents, Driscoll said he prefers money for the information, but the texts also prove Driscoll received sex acts on multiple occasions. Court documents state Driscoll believed the women should be available to him at his convenience and he became angry when that was not the case.  Driscoll explained to Ricks in detail how we would alter files to make things, “go away.”

Driscoll provided sensitive law enforcement information to Ricks to avoid his criminal activity from being discovered. On occasion, Driscoll provided phone numbers used by undercover officers, locations of undercover STING operations, and warnings to Ricks when police were close to the locations where he was holding the women he trafficked. Ricks would give Driscoll names of individuals and Driscoll would send him back information. Driscoll even told Ricks he would look through end-of-month reports and “nuke any surprises.”

Court documents state that Driscoll took advantage of his position within the Salt Lake government to conceal the crimes of his own and others and expose law enforcement to significant danger. According to the document, “The damage Driscoll has done to both the safety and integrity of the Salt Lake City Police Department is beyond measure.”