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Mitch
Sneed / Douglas County Sentinel
Assistant District Attorney Rachel Ackley delivered a closing argument
that outlined how Steven Lemery’s actions fit the definitions of the law
and asked the jurors to let the victims know that ‘not only is it not
OK, but it’s not their fault.’
A jury took less than two hours Friday to find Steven Donald Lemery guilty on five counts of human trafficking, three counts of aggravated child molestation, enticing a child for indecent purposes and pandering by compulsion. It is believed to be one of the first convictions of human trafficking of males for sexual purposes since the charge became law.
Under sentencing guidelines the 38-year-old, who also went by the name Steven Lang, could serve between 25 to 50 years for human trafficking and 25 to life on the aggravated child molestation charges.
Assistant District Attorney Rachel Ackley, who prosecuted the case investigated by Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Det. Jay Hayes along with the Department of Homeland Security, said the convictions send an important message.
“The victims in this case were often very reluctant to testify and tell people what happened to them,” Ackley said after the verdict was read. “It is very traumatic to have to go into detail on the stand and face the humiliation and embarrassment of having been taken in and falling victim to this man.
“But when it was over and now with this verdict, they can now move on with their lives. After the victims testified they talked about
See Lemery/Page 13
how empowering it was to do this – face their victim without fear and to know that it was over.”
The trial exposed often disturbing details of how Lemery operated a child trafficking ring out of his Douglas County home, where drugs and alcohol and wild parties were the norm in what was an almost communal setup.. Lemery, who was a male stripper at B.J. Rooster’s on Atlanta’s Cheshire Bridge Road, often lied about his age on Facebook and MySpace and contacted teens from across the South. Testimony showed how he often brought people into his Long Lake Drive home, then forcing them into prostitution using Craig’s List just to to survive.
Defense attorney Tracey D. Gibson tried to hammer at inconsistencies in the testimony of the victims in her closing argument, and pointed out that they gave so many different ages, that her client had no idea that some were as young as 15.
“He makes up a lot of stories and when he found himself in trouble, he made up this story to cover his own butt,” Gibson said of a 15-year-old victim from Alabama who was kept in Douglasville for more than three weeks, even after he begged to be taken home.
She also asked the jury to disregard the feeling they have for the acts and look at the law.
“It would be easy for you to be so disgusted that you throw your hands up and convict my client,” Gibson told the jury, also mentioning that the teens came to Lemery of their own free will. “But please look at the law and consider the facts anbd the testimony and keep an open mind
After the verdict, Gibson said said that Lemery was stunned by the outcome.
“My client took it very, very hard,” Gibson said. “But as I take a step back, I see how it is a very hard case to defense because the law is very broad and new. If you look at it, there are a lot of other cases that could be classified as human trafficking, but they aren’t. I think that’s why it needs to be looked at and more carefully defined.”
Ackley’s closing obviously stuck with the jurors as they deliberated. She pointed out how Lemery transported them, lied to them, controlled them financially and benefited by prostituting them.
“I ask you to consider the law and consider the victims,” Ackley said. “I ask you to send a message to the victims and tell them that what not only is this not OK, but it is not your fault.”
Lemery’s conviction is the second in the bizarre case that shocked Douglas County with the very nature of the acts and practices that were happening in the upscale home.
A transgender adult entertainer named Christopher Andrew Lynch, who also lived in Lemery’s home, was also accused in this case as a result of the investigation. Accusations are that his victims were also forced to have sex with men for money.
Lynch, who performed in Atlanta drag shows under the name Pasha Nicole, received a 30-year sentence earlier this year after pleading guilty to two counts of sexual exploitation of a child, pimping a victim under the age of 18 and pandering by compulsion. He will serve the first 14 years of the sentence in prison.
Read more: Douglas County Sentinel - Lemery found guilty on all counts in human trafficking child molestation case
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