A U.S. District Court judge sentenced a Capitol Heights, Maryland, man to 21 years in prison after a plea deal was reached on charges related to child prostitution and sex trafficking. In addition to the prison term, the man was sentenced to a lifetime of supervised release, and he will have to comply with sex crime registry terms wherever he lives, works or attends school.
Federal prosecutors asked for tough sentencing because, according to the plea agreement, the 30-year-old man enticed a 13-year-old girl with alcohol, marijuana and ecstasy and forced her to act as a prostitute. Court documents state that the man arranged for several men to have sex with the girl, keeping all the proceeds and forcing the girl’s compliance with illegal drugs.
The man first came to the attention of law enforcement in 2008, when a hotel employee called police out of concern for the girl. When officers arrived, they found the girl and the man in a hotel room, but the pair was able to convince the officers that the girl was the man’s relative, so police arranged for the girl to be returned to her home. Undeterred, the man picked the girl up at her home a short time later and the prostitution continued.
Law enforcement was alerted a week later when they found an online advertisement promoting sex with the girl, showing her posed in lingerie. They contacted the man to arrange a “date” with the girl; the man was subsequently arrested outside the hotel room where the meeting was to occur.
Serious charges involving the exploitation and prostitution of children carry life-changing consequences. A person facing these charges often can benefit from consulting with an experienced defense attorney.
Source: WMAR-TV, “Man who prostitued 13-year-old girl sentenced to 21 years,” Jan. 2, 2013
