New Hampshire Man Pleads Guilty to Sex Trafficking of a Minor

Steven Tucker, 31, of New Hampshire, pleaded guilty in the District of New Hampshire today to one count of sex trafficking of a minor.

According to the plea agreement, from 2013 to 2014, the defendant recruited a minor victim to engage in commercial sex acts, provided a location for the commercial sex acts, arranged her transportation to perform commercial sex acts, paid for internet advertisements for the commercial sex acts, and collected a portion of the cash proceeds from the minor’s commercial sex acts.

“Sex trafficking is a heinous crime that often times preys on the youngest and most vulnerable members of our society,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General John Gore. “Combatting sex trafficking is one of the highest priorities of the Department of Justice, and we will continue to hold traffickers accountable and to seek justice on behalf of sex trafficking victims.”

“The United States Attorney’s Office in New Hampshire is committed to working closely with our law enforcement partners to combat human trafficking,” said Acting U.S. Attorney John J. Farley.  “I am proud of the work that the members of the New Hampshire Human Trafficking Collaborative Task Force do each day to combat the scourge of human trafficking using a multidisciplinary approach.  This successful prosecution is an example of the Task Force’s ongoing efforts to seek justice for victims of sex trafficking crimes.”

Tucker was charged in a three-count indictment returned on January 25, 2016 with sex trafficking of a minor, operation of a prostitution enterprise, and maintaining a drug-involved premises.  He faces a possible sentence of 10 years to life in prison.  The sentencing is scheduled for January 5, 2018.  As part of the plea agreement, Tucker will also be ordered to pay restitution to the minor victim, in an amount to be determined at the time of sentencing.

This prosecution is the result of the joint investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the Manchester Police Department, the New Hampshire Human Trafficking Collaborative Task Force, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Hampshire and the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit.

The Task Force is funded by a grant from the United States Department of Justice. Its goals are to ensure that comprehensive and specialized services are made available to victims of human trafficking through a multidisciplinary and collaborative approach, and that perpetrators of sex trafficking and forced labor are investigated and prosecuted.

The core team members of the Task Force are the Manchester Police Department, Child and Family Services of New Hampshire, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Hampshire.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Arnold Huftalen and District of New Hampshire and Trial Attorney Vasantha Rao of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit.