Sacramento Man Arrested for Sex Trafficking of a Child

 SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A Sacramento man was arrested yesterday afternoon on charges of sex trafficking of a child, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

On Oct. 1, a federal grand jury in Sacramento returned a sealed indictment against Michael Anthony Butler Jr., 41, aka Spice916 and Spice, charging him with sex trafficking of a child. The indictment was unsealed today after Butler’s arrest.

Butler recruited, harbored, and transported a minor victim, knowing that the minor victim was younger than 18 years old and would be caused to engage in prostitution. Butler also advertised the minor victim’s prostitution activity.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Yuba City Police Department with assistance from the Yuba County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian A. Fogerty and Quinn Hochhalter are prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Butler faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.