Fort Lauderdale, FL – A federal judge sentenced a 49-year-old Fort Lauderdale man to five life terms in prison Tuesday for pimping underage girls.
A jury convicted the man of sex trafficking of minors and attempted sex trafficking of a minor in an October trial.
The man was found guilty of pimping girls between the ages of 12 and 16 out of his Fort Lauderdale home.
Authorities claim the man had sex with several of the girls, and provided some of them with marijuana and crack cocaine.
Prosecutors believe he told some of the girls that he loved them, and began relationships with them before telling the girls to turn to prostitution to help pay the bills. He apparently took a portion of the money, sometimes all of it.
The man is appealing his convictions and insists that he never pimped the girls out between August 2011 and May 2012. He told the jury that he was a father figure who tried to help the girls, and that many of them were prostituting before they met him.
A child sex trafficking conviction can result in a few years behind bars, or as this case shows, up to life in prison. These cases are prosecuted quite harshly, so these charges must be taken very seriously. Child sex trafficking is considered a federal offense, which means that a federal agency will likely be involved in your case. Federal agents usually have unlimited resources to pursue sex trafficking cases, so it is crucial to enlist the help of a sex crimes defense attorney if you wish to obtain a positive outcome for your situation.
Keep in mind that even if you are convicted of a sex crime, you still have options. While it can be difficult to reverse a conviction, in certain scenarios you may be able to appeal the conviction and the sentence. A Florida Sex Crimes Attorney at Whittel & Melton can help you file for a petition for appeal if you have been wrongfully convicted of a sex crime. We understand that prosecutors, juries and judges do not always get things right. We can take the time to fully evaluate your case and provide you with the truth on whether a successful appeal is likely.
If you have been arrested for sex trafficking in the state of Florida, or if someone you love has been convicted of sex trafficking and is contemplating filing an appeal, contact a Florida Sex Trafficking Defense Attorney at Whittel & Melton online or call us statewide and toll-free at 866-608-5529. We can begin helping you immediately, so do not delay.