Philadelphia Man Sentenced For Sex Trafficking Conspiracy

The U.S. Justice Department released the below information:

PHILADELPHIA—Adrian Palmer, 49, of Philadelphia, PA, was sentenced today to 80 months in prison for conspiring in the sex trafficking of girls under the age of 18. Palmer pleaded guilty on October 18, 2013 to one count of conspiracy, one count of sex trafficking of minors, and one count of attempted sex trafficking of a minor.

In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge C. Darnell Jones, II, ordered Palmer to pay restitution of $1,400, a $300 special assessment, and to complete five years of supervised release. Palmer will also be required to register as a sex offender upon his release.

Between June 1, 2012 and June 14, 2012, Palmer, who worked as a security guard at a Days Inn motel on Roosevelt Boulevard in Philadelphia, provided protection and assistance to sex traffickers operating at the motel in exchange for a daily fee.

Craig Johnson, the operator of the sex trafficking venture, recruited female juveniles to work as prostitutes. Johnson paid Palmer between $60 and $100 a day in exchange for advice about Johnson’s sex trafficking organization, including Johnson’s Backpage.com advertisements.

Palmer also provided protection for Johnson so that law enforcement authorities would not be alerted to the sex trafficking operation. In August 2013, Palmer accepted $100 from a confidential witness in exchange for protecting him from law enforcement so he could engage in the sex trafficking of a (fictitious) 16-year-old minor.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the First Judicial Court Warrant Unit. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michelle L. Morgan.

Assistant U.S. Attorney In Philadelphia: "Human Trafficking Is The Fastest Growing Crime In The Country"

Lara Witt at the Phildelphia Daily News offers a piece on the growing crime of human trafficking.

"Slavery is not an obsolete relic of the past, it is a global industry that generates $32 billion in profits through forced labor and the bodies of tens of millions of human beings each year."

This is what Ivan Cole, who sits on the board of the Life After Trauma Organization, told an audience yesterday during a conference hosted by the nonprofit at Temple University to raise awareness of the pervasiveness of human trafficking. LATO helps women recover from the trauma of human trafficking.

"The main reason why traffickers engage in this crime is because it is extremely lucrative," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Morgan, during a panel discussion that included six experts on the issue.

According to data from the U.S. State Department, it is estimated that 800,000 people are traded across international borders per year.

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20150329_Assistant_U_S__Attorney___quot_Human_trafficking_is_the_fastest_growing_crime_in_the_country.html