Man Sentenced to 34 Years for Pandering and Pimping of a Child

GOLDEN, CO—Victor Everitt Sanders, born December 26, 1985, of Aurora, was sentenced today to 34 years in prison, plus five years of parole, for forcing a 16-year-old girl to prostitute herself for him.

On January 11, 2011, investigators received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that led them to Sanders through a 16-year-old victim who was advertising services on a website.

The tip was forwarded to a special agent with the FBI and a detective from the Aurora Police Department who are both assigned to the FBI Safe Streets Task Force. Lakewood Police, who are also members of the Safe Streets Task Force, conducted an undercover prostitution sting on January 21. They took the 16-year-old teen into custody. The teen told investigators that Sanders was her pimp. He had forced her to post ads and then go with strangers and commit sex acts and then bring the money back to him. Investigators learned that Sanders made her dependent upon him. He fed her little and bought sexually explicit clothing for her to wear. He beat her, raped her, belittled her, and in other ways verbally abused her.

The investigation led to a warrant being issued for the arrest of Victor Sanders on January 24.

The young woman appeared in court today, with her grandmother, for the sentencing hearing. She talked little about what Sanders had done or taken from her. She instead told the judge that she was no longer a victim; that she was victorious ,and now she was free. She told the court that she went to prom this year, and that she graduated from high school. She smiled as she told the court that at the beginning of September, she moved into the dorm of her new four-year college.

“These cases are extremely difficult,” says District Attorney Scott Storey. “The young victim ran away from home at 13 to escape abuse and a difficult home environment. No child wants to prostitute themselves. For them, it is a matter of survival. In this case, there is good news. With the help and support of victim advocates and our Crimes Against Children team, this young woman is doing well and is healing and moving on with her life. Others are not so fortunate.”

“This sentence should send a clear message to those who victimize our nation’s children. Law enforcement, prosecutors, and our communities will come together to protect our young people and hold accountable those who exploit the innocence of young victims,” said FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge James Yacone. “I would like to thank the Lakewood Police Department, the Aurora Police Department, the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office, and the Colorado Attorney General’s Office for their leadership and collaboration with the Innocence Lost Unit of our FBI Safe Streets Task Force.”

The jury could not reach a unanimous verdict on one count of child trafficking, and they returned a not guilty verdict on one count of sexual assault.

On July 24 a Jefferson County jury found Sanders guilty of:

■Pandering of a child

■Pimping of a child

■Procurement of a child

■Contributing to the delinquency of a child

■Two violent crime counts

District Judge Randall Aarp said that this case was “replete with violence and assault.” The judge also said that he had seen an interview with Sanders that the jury had not seen, and that throughout that interview and this case, he had seen no remorse whatsoever, nor had Sanders appeared to accept any responsibility for his actions. Sanders has one prior felony conviction and must register as a sex offender.

This press release originated from the Office of the District Attorney, First Judicial District, which handles Jefferson and Gilpin Counties, Colorado. The public information officer is Pam Russell at 303-271-6905.

Former Reading Police Officer Sentenced in Connection with Sex Trafficking Case

PHILADELPHIA—Ronald Miko, 37, of Reading, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 38 months in prison for obstruction of a criminal investigation. Miko was a police officer in the city of Reading when he utilized a room in a house at which convicted federal defendants Paul Sewell and Michael Johnson operated a prostitution business that trafficked females who were under the age of 18. Between May 2, 2011 and June 7, 2011, Miko wired money to Johnson’s federal prison account to prevent the communication of information to criminal investigators regarding Miko’s involvement in that business.

In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge C. Darnell Jones ordered three years’ supervised release with 450 hours community service and a $1,000 fine.

The case was investigated by the Allentown Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Berks County District Attorney’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michelle L. Morgan.

Orlando Man Convicted of Sex Trafficking a Child into the New Orleans Area, Faces Life in Prison

NEW ORLEANS—Benson December Coriolant, 30, of Orlando, Florida, was convicted today by a federal jury of all four counts of which he was charged, announced United States Attorney Jim Letten. He was charged with and convicted of sex trafficking of a child, conspiring with others to sex traffic a child, coercing and enticing an individual to engage in prostitution, and coercing and enticing a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity.

According to evidence introduced at trial, in late 2008, Coriolant met R.V., a 14-year-old female. Shortly thereafter, he began a sexual relationship with her. After convincing the minor that their relationship was one of boyfriend/girlfriend, Coriolant recruited R.V. to begin working for him as a prostitute in the Orlando area. Coriolant posted advertisements on multiple city-specific Internet classified ad websites offering prostitution services of the minor. Over the course of the next year, Coriolant forced R.V. to engage in dozens of sexual acts in exchange for money throughout the entire state of Florida. Coriolant forced R.V. to turn over the money she earned from prostitution either to him or one of his associates. Coriolant also provided R.V. with alcohol and illicit and mood-altering drugs as a way of numbing her senses and controlling her behavior.

In March 2010, Coriolant drove R.V., who was the 15 year old, to Kenner, Louisiana, to work as a prostitute. Coriolant used the New Orleans version of the online classified advertisement website to solicit individuals interested in paying for sex with the minor. Coriolant required R.V. to put the money she made from prostitution—thousands of dollars—into a bank account for his benefit. He further forced her to account for all of her expenses, including personal expenses such as food, in a journal, daily letters, and text messages to him.

On April 24, 2010, R.V. was discovered by law enforcement authorities and, ultimately, sent back to Orlando with relatives. Once back in Orlando, Coriolant instructed R.V. to continue engaging in prostitution but to have sex only with regular, familiar clients because of concerns with law enforcement finding her.

In May 2010, Coriolant sent the minor back to New Orleans a second time to work as a prostitute. Coriolant again advertised sex with the minor on the online classified advertisement website. R.V. was arrested several days later.

Witness testimony and evidence set forth at trial, including recordings of phone calls between Coriolant and R.V., further proved that money from the commercial sex exploitation of the minor was provided to Coriolant. The documentary evidence and recorded calls also proved that Coriolant instructed R.V. in what to charge for sex, how to provide him with the profits, how to attract business, how to avoid being apprehended by law enforcement, and how to perform certain sexual acts.

Sentencing has been scheduled for December 20, 2012, at 2:00 p.m. Coriolant faces a maximum of life imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and a lifetime of supervised release. Coriolant can also be required to register as a sex offender.

Speaking to today’s conviction, United States Attorney Jim Letten stated:

“Today’s conviction—and the presentation of the chilling testimony and evidence which, over the past few days, painted a stark picture of the grim realities, abuses, and human degradation of human trafficking—must serve as both a wake-up call and a warning to parents, citizens, and law enforcement officials alike that the child sex slave industry is a very real, clear, and present danger. My thanks go to the tremendous prosecution team, our FBI partners, and our Victim Assistance team for bringing this predator to justice and for protecting the lives of victims in this and other cases. We must and will remain vigilant in identifying and relentlessly pursuing those who steal our childrens’ lives by subjecting them to sexual slavery.”

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

This case was further brought as part of the Innocence Lost National Initiative, which was aimed at addressing the growing problem of domestic sex trafficking of children in the United States. In the nine years since its inception, the initiative has resulted in the development of 47 dedicated task forces and working groups throughout the U.S. involving federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies working in tandem with U.S. Attorney’s Offices.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, New Orleans Division. The Tampa Division of the FBI and the Kenner, Louisiana Police Department also provided critical investigative assistance. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Jordan Ginsberg, Juliana Etland, and Sean Toomey.

Toledo Man Charged with Sex Trafficking of Children

An indictment was filed charging Duane Hill with sex trafficking of children and obstructing the investigation of child sex trafficking, said Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.

Hill, 25, resides in Toledo, Ohio, according to court records.

Count one charges that on or about August 8, 2012, Hill recruited, enticed, harbored, transported, provided, obtained, and provided by any means, in and affecting interstate commerce, “A.W.,” knowing and in reckless disregard of the fact that A.W. had not attainted the age of 18 year and that A.W. would engage in a commercial sex act.

Count two charges that on or about September 6, 2012, Hill provided false and misleading information to investigators assigned to the Northwest Ohio Violent Crimes Against Children Task Force who were investigating the offense charged in count one.

If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court after reviewing factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any; the defendant’s role in the offense; and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum. For convictions of sex trafficking of minors, the law provides a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of life. In addition, any term of imprisonment must be followed by a term of supervised release of at least five years and up to life.

The investigating agency in this case is the Northwest Ohio Violent Crimes Against Children Task Force and the FBI.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Man Who Operated Sex Trafficking Ring Sentenced to Life in Federal Prison

Soloman Mustafa Used Violent Sex Acts, Duct Tape and Handcuffs, and Violence to Prevent Women from Escaping

ATLANTA—The operator of an Atlanta sex trafficking ring who committed violent sexual acts against his victims, bound them with duct tape, took their identification, and committed other atrocities in order to hold them captive was sentenced today to life in prison by United States District Judge Charles A. Pannell, Jr.

Soloman Manasseh Mustafa, 38, of Stone Mountain, Georgia, was convicted on July 18, 2012, after an eight-day jury trial of sex trafficking, kidnapping, transporting women across state lines for prostitution, document servitude, and enticement of a minor for sexual activity. His co-defendant, Kalandra Annette Wallace, 25, of Jonesboro, Georgia, pleaded guilty on October 11, 2011, and was sentenced to five years in federal prison.

United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said of the case, “This defendant brutally assaulted young women and forced them into acts of prostitution in three states. Many of the victims were beaten, raped, handcuffed, and forced to snort cocaine by the defendant and his co-conspirator. Today’s sentence demonstrates that sex traffickers will pay a heavy price for victimizing young women.”

Ricky Maxwell, Acting Special Agent in Charge, FBI Atlanta Field Office, said, “Today’s sentencing removes a violent predator from the streets and prevents him from harming and exploiting others. The FBI’s Metro Atlanta Child Exploitation Task Force (MATCH) will continue its hard work in identifying, investigating, and bringing forward for prosecution individuals such as Mustafa who prey on others in such a violent manner.”

According to the indictment and evidence presented during trial: Mustafa and co-defendant Wallace recruited and enticed young women via advertisements on Internet sites such as Craigslist.com and Backpage.com, luring them into prostitution in the Atlanta metropolitan area. Once Mustafa and Wallace began working with the women, however, they physically assaulted many of the victims, prevented them from leaving hotels or apartments, and forced them to engage in commercial sex acts.

During trial, the government presented evidence that two victims were bound with duct tape and placed in a closet. These victims, still bound with duct tape, were ultimately taken against their will to Homewood, Alabama, for the purpose of having sex with men. Other victims were forced to have sex with men and all the money earned by the victims was required to be turned over to Mustafa and Wallace. According to the evidence, one victim had a gun pointed at her head and was ordered to remove her clothes and stand naked in a corner of the room. Other women were forced to inhale a white powdery substance that appeared to be cocaine. Two victims were handcuffed to the bed to keep them from leaving.

The evidence also showed that Mustafa communicated via text messaging with a young girl whom he believed to be 14 years old. In those text messages, he instructed the juvenile to send him photos of herself. Once Mustafa saw the photos, he told the juvenile that she could be his sex slave, and he went to the juvenile’s home to pick her up. The juvenile left her home by tying bed sheets together and climbing out the window. Fortunately, Mustafa let the young girl go in a subdivision close to her home.

Mustafa and Wallace also took the identification, telephones, and wallets of some of the victims, with the purpose of making the victims feel trapped. After one victim escaped, Mustafa and Wallace kept her identification and used it to rent hotel rooms and a house.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the FBI’s Metro Atlanta Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes the Atlanta Police Department, the Cobb County Police Department, the Fulton County Police Department, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Gwinnett County Police Department, the City of Marietta Police Department, and the Sandy Springs Police Department. Other departments that assisted in the investigation are the Holly Springs Police Department, the DeKalb County Police Department, the Clayton County Police Department, and the Homewood (Alabama) Police Department.

The United States Attorney’ Office maintains information and resources about human trafficking on its website at http://www.justice.gov/usao/gan/community/humantrafficking/index.html. If anyone has any information about any human trafficking case, they are encouraged to report that information to the Federal Bureau of Investigation at 404-679-9000.

Assistant United States Attorneys Yonette Buchanan, Nekia S. Hackworth, and Susan Coppedge prosecuted the case.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Information Office at USAGAN.Pressemails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the HomePage for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is www.justice.gov/usao/gan.