Florida
Posted on Friday, 05.11.12
Prom
BRADENTON -- A Bradenton woman faces life in prison after pleading guilty to using 15- to 17-year-old girls as prostitutes.
Neang Prom, 30, who went by the name Pocahontas, has pleaded guilty to the sex trafficking of minors in Tampa, according to a plea agreement reached Wednesday.
Authorities say Prom recruited four underage girls to work as prostitutes in Tampa and promoted the business by taking sexually explicit photos of the girls and posting them on the Internet, according to a criminal complaint filed by the U.S. attorney's office in Tampa.
Prom, whose sentencing date has not been set, faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison.
Prom and her boyfriend, Eric Bell, who went by the name Santana, recruited the girls, who were ages 15 to 17, by offering them a place to live in the 3200 block of North 47th Street in Tampa, the complaint states.
Bell pleaded guilty earlier and will be sentenced June 20.
"Once the minors were living with Prom and Bell, they took sexually explicit photos of the minor victims and placed these photos on the Internet, to solicit clients for prostitution services," according to the U.S. attorney's office.
When a search warrant was executed at the Tampa residence on July 22, 2010, agents from the FBI and other agencies found firearms, ammunition, body armor, digital cameras, cellular telephones, computers, numerous suspected false identifications and numerous Craigslist documents and advertisements.
Agents learned the girls were required to hand over all of the money earned to Prom and Bell, according to prosecutors.
The girls were told to charge $125 to $200 per hour for sex, the complaint states.
In return, the girls got room and board, got their hair and nails done, and were given small amounts of money when they made requests, Prom told authorities after her arrest.
Law enforcement estimates that one of the victims, who was 15, earned $40,000 to $50,000 for Bell during the three-week period she was held, the complaint states.
After she was arrested, Prom told authorities that Bell looked for girls that were "down and out" that he could take advantage of, the plea agreement states.
He preferred younger females because "he knew they were easier to control," according to the plea agreement.
The case was investigated by the Clearwater Area Human Trafficking Task Force, the FBI, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to target child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Neang Prom, 30, who went by the name Pocahontas, has pleaded guilty to the sex trafficking of minors in Tampa, according to a plea agreement reached Wednesday.
Authorities say Prom recruited four underage girls to work as prostitutes in Tampa and promoted the business by taking sexually explicit photos of the girls and posting them on the Internet, according to a criminal complaint filed by the U.S. attorney's office in Tampa.
Prom, whose sentencing date has not been set, faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison.
Prom and her boyfriend, Eric Bell, who went by the name Santana, recruited the girls, who were ages 15 to 17, by offering them a place to live in the 3200 block of North 47th Street in Tampa, the complaint states.
Bell pleaded guilty earlier and will be sentenced June 20.
"Once the minors were living with Prom and Bell, they took sexually explicit photos of the minor victims and placed these photos on the Internet, to solicit clients for prostitution services," according to the U.S. attorney's office.
When a search warrant was executed at the Tampa residence on July 22, 2010, agents from the FBI and other agencies found firearms, ammunition, body armor, digital cameras, cellular telephones, computers, numerous suspected false identifications and numerous Craigslist documents and advertisements.
Agents learned the girls were required to hand over all of the money earned to Prom and Bell, according to prosecutors.
The girls were told to charge $125 to $200 per hour for sex, the complaint states.
In return, the girls got room and board, got their hair and nails done, and were given small amounts of money when they made requests, Prom told authorities after her arrest.
Law enforcement estimates that one of the victims, who was 15, earned $40,000 to $50,000 for Bell during the three-week period she was held, the complaint states.
After she was arrested, Prom told authorities that Bell looked for girls that were "down and out" that he could take advantage of, the plea agreement states.
He preferred younger females because "he knew they were easier to control," according to the plea agreement.
The case was investigated by the Clearwater Area Human Trafficking Task Force, the FBI, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to target child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/05/11/2794392/florida-woman-named-pocahontas.html#storylink=cpy
No comments:
Post a Comment