SPRINGFIELD - Tiana Lewis - one half of the

"Sinful Innocence" alleged human trafficking ring

busted by federal investigators last month - will continue to be held behind bars pending trial after one federal judge overturned another's decision to free her.

Lewis and her husband, Milford Lewis, were arrested on Dec. 17 in the parking lot of a local strip bar. They were charged with human trafficking and federal prostitution-related charges in connection with a business they advertised as an "exotic dancer, escort, stage show performer and model" platform, according to investigators. The couple billed themselves the "CEO's" of the venture to various employees and undercover officers who posed as prospects, court records state.

In reality, it was a seedy prostitution ring that primarily sent its workers to motels for sex acts and devolved into "virtual slavery" for some employees, Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex J. Grant has said during court hearings. Furthermore, women were threatened, beaten and made to stand in a tub of ice water if they tried to buck their "employment contracts" or resist the Lewises, a Department of Homeland Security investigator wrote in a criminal complaint.

Eight women have come forward to tell investigators they worked for the Lewises as prostitutes, according to court filings; none had pretty stories to tell. Some were recruited across state lines, which tripped the federal trafficking charge.

The Lewises each face mandatory minimum prison sentences of 15 years if convicted of the most serious charges. Milford Lewis conceded to remaining behind bars if it offered his wife an opportunity at pre-trial freedom. It seemed Tiana Lewis, 30, a Springfield native, had a fleeting chance.

U.S. District Magistrate Judge Katherine Robertson on Monday agreed to release Tiana Lewis on house arrest and other conditions. The government appealed the decision, however, and the matter went forward before U.S. District Judge Mark G. Mastroianni on Thursday.

A central issue in her potential release was the aggression and harassment she allegedly rained on her employees - particularly those who wanted to break free of their contracts at a cost of $350. In prior court hearings, prosecutors have played recorded phone conversations during which Tiana Lewis threatened to "f*** up" one woman if she didn't pay the balance of the $350. Lewis also allegedly threatened the woman's family.

Grant hammered away at this point during the hearing before Mastroianni.

"She's screaming '48 hours! You better get my money in 48 hours!' These people were making threatening, incessant demands for payment. (One witness) had been working for about a month, month and a half without any pay. This was virtual slavery. If we don't detain them, we may as well not even have our detention statute," Grant said.

Some women said that although they were promised a cut of $200 hourly rates, they ended up working for cigarettes and beer for extended periods.

In addition to the federal charges, Tiana Lewis has an outstanding warrant on a state case stemming from a drunken fight she got in with her step-sister, during which she brandished a knife and was subdued by pepper spray when the police came to arrest her. This was according to a version offered by Tiana Lewis' attorney in court.

Her defense lawyer, Frank Flannery, has argued that she was a diagnosed bipolar who opted to stop taking her medication, and met Milford Lewis around the same time. Flannery also argued the alleged threats made over the telephone were empty ones since there was no evidence that the couple ever followed through with them.

"I don't even know if she weighs 110 pounds," Flannery told Mastroianni.

The judge decided to keep Tiana Lewis in prison for a combination of reasons including her outstanding state case, the fact that she voluntarily went off her medication and the troubling allegations in the federal case.

"It creates a situation of instability where I'm not sure how Ms. Lewis would react to things and what she would do, certainly under the stress of being charged with a case of this nature," Mastroianni said before ruling that the defendant be held behind bars while awaiting trial.

Tiana Lewis began weeping uncontrollably after the judge rendered his decision and U.S. Marshals led her from the courtroom.

"No! It's not fair! I can't do this!" she wailed, as her family members in the courtroom murmured encouragement.

Another pretrial hearing in the case has not yet been scheduled.