Georgia Man Indicted for Child Sex Trafficking in Jacksonville

A 27-year-old Georgia man has been indicted for child sex trafficking in Jacksonville.

The Waynesville, Georgia man was indicted with child sex trafficking, enticing a minor to travel in interstate commerce for prostitution or unlawful sexual activity, transporting a minor in interstate commerce for prostitution or unlawful sexual activity and using a facility of interstate commerce to promote and carry on prostitution activities.

If convicted, he faces a minimum penalty of 10 years, with the possibility of life, in federal prison.

According to the indictment, the man is accused of transporting a minor female from Georgia to Jacksonville, where he then engaged in commercial sex trafficking of the minor. The indictment also alleges that the man used a mobile phone to carry out the illegal activities.

An indictment is just the term for a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law. As with other criminal charges, every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case was investigated by Northeast Florida Human Trafficking Task Force, a specialized task force made up of investigators from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to attack the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

According to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center, there are 27 million people enslaved worldwide. The National Human Trafficking Resource Center ranked Florida 3rd in the number of calls received by the center’s human trafficking hotline in 2011.

Victims of sex trafficking include children, women and men who are subjected to sexual exploitation through force, fraud or coercion. The state of Florida has a zero-tolerance policy for sex trafficking. These charges are quite severe and do require a powerful defense in order to avoid a conviction. The State will stop at nothing to prove its case and will undoubtedly seek the maximum penalties. Because of this, it is imperative that you protect yourself as early on in your case as possible. A Florida Sex Trafficking Defense Lawyer at Whittel & Melton can help defeat the charges against you. Call us today at 866-608-5529 or contact us online to get the legal assistance you need today.