MILWAUKEE — Four men at the center of a multi-year human trafficking investigation tied to On the Border Gentleman's Club in Franklin appeared in Milwaukee County Court on Friday morning.
Two of the defendants, Jimmy Durant and Brian Hopkins, appeared in person, while the other two defendants, Maurice Russell and Dantavia Rule, appeared via Zoom. The four men were arrested in December 2025.
Durant, Rule and Russell are all in custody and pleaded not guilty to the multiple felonies they are facing. Their defense asked the judge for more time to look through the evidence brought forward during discovery.
The 23-page criminal complaint alleges that three 31-year-old Milwaukee men — Jimmy Durrant Jr., Dantavia Rule and Maurice Russell — were involved in trafficking multiple women who worked at On the Border, also known as OTB.
Meanwhile, Hopkins, the former general manager for the club who is out on bail, was in court for a status conference.
TMJ4 tried speaking with Hopkins after court Friday morning.
"Mr. Hopkins, are you interested in speaking at all?" TMJ4 Reporter, Megan Lee asked.
"No," Hopkins said.
"The allegations against you are pretty serious. No comment?" Lee said.
Hopkins is due back in court in July, and the three others will be back in May.
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