Friday, June 24, 2011

East Hartford, Conn., Woman Sentenced to More Than Nine Years in Prison for Sex Trafficking of Minors

WASHINGTON – An East Hartford, Conn., woman was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Mark R. Kravitz in New Haven, Conn., to 110 months in prison for the sex trafficking of two minor girls in 2009, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney David B. Fein for the District of Connecticut.

Hassanah Delia, 24, was also ordered to serve five years of supervised release following her prison term.   Delia pleaded guilty on Dec. 7, 2010, to two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion. 

According to court documents and statements made in court, Delia and Jarell Sanderson recruited two 14-year-old girls to work as prostitutes.  In July 2009, Sanderson and Delia transported the girls to hotels in Hartford and East Hartford where the girls engaged in sexual conduct with men in exchange for money that was paid either to Sanderson or Delia.  The men who paid to engage in sexual conduct with the girls had responded to an advertisement Sanderson placed on a website by calling a phone that was answered by Delia, who then set up appointments for the girls.

Sanderson pleaded guilty on Jan. 20, 2011, to one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of children and two counts of sex trafficking of children.  On June 7, 2011, he was sentenced to 310 months in prison.

Delia and Sanderson will be required to pay restitution to the minor victims in an amount to be determined after additional court proceedings.

This matter was investigated by the FBI and the East Hartford Police Department.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David E. Novick and Trial Attorney Alecia Riewerts Wolak of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section.

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