East Bay Man Sentenced To 14 Years In Prison For Transporting A Minor Across State Lines To Prostitute In Oakland

OAKLAND– Eugene Latrell McNeely, aka Sleepy, aka Slim Sleep da Mac, was sentenced to 14 years in prison for transporting a minor with intent to prostitute, announced United States Attorney David L. Anderson and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge John F. Bennett.  The Honorable James Donato, U.S. District Judge, handed down the sentence. 

McNeely, 37, of Oakland, pleaded guilty to the charge on June 27, 2019.  According to public filings, McNeely admitted that on October 3, 2015, he drove from Oakland to Salem, Oregon, picked up a 14-year old minor female that he had been communicating with by text message and through Facebook messenger, and drove her across state lines back to Oakland, California to work as one of his prostitutes.  For approximately three months thereafter, the minor female worked as a prostitute and McNeely was her pimp.  According to documents filed by the government, from October 2015 until January 2016, at least one other victim, not including the 14-year old, worked as a prostitute for the defendant, who was their pimp.  Defendant forced the victims to work for him as prostitutes seven days a week, performing sex acts on strangers and then giving all of their earnings to the defendant.  Both victims were raped, on separate occasions, while working for the defendant.  The defendant regularly physically beat them, and he used guns to intimidate them and make them continue working for him.  The defendant also gave one of the victims heroin, knowing that she was addicted, so that she would continue to prostitute for him.

On November 1, 2018, a federal grand jury issued a superseding indictment charging McNeely with one count of transportation of a minor for prostitution, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2423(a); one count of sex trafficking of children, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1591(a)(1), (b)(2), and (c); and two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1591(a)(1) and (b)(1).  McNeely pleaded guilty to the first count.  The remaining counts are pending. 

In addition to the prison term, Judge Donato ordered McNeely to serve 15 years of supervised release.  McNeely has been in federal custody since May of 2017 and will begin serving his sentence immediately.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ross Weingarten and Shailika Kotiya are prosecuting the case with the assistance of Madeline Wachs.  The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI and the Oakland Police Department.