Sex trafficking is a serious felony offense under Minnesota law and is as:

(a) receiving, recruiting, enticing, harboring, providing, or obtaining by any means an individual to aid in the prostitution of the individual; or (2) receiving profit or anything of value, knowing or having reason to know it is derived from an act described in clause (1).

First Degree Sex Trafficking crime involves a person who, acting other than as a john or a prostitute, intentionally solicits, induces, or promotes a person under the age of 18 to practice prostitution. A person can also be charged with this offense for receiving any profits knowing that they are derived from the prostitution or promotion of prostitution of a person under the age of 18 years. A person convicted of First Degree Sex Trafficking is subject to imprisonment for not more than 25 years or a fine of not more than $60,000.00, or both.

Second Degree Sex Trafficking involves the same elements to the crime as First Degree with the exception that the victim is 18 years of age or older. A conviction for this offense carries a term of imprisonment not to exceed 15 years and payment of a fine not to exceed $40,000.00, or both.

Sex trafficking is also a crime under federal law and is referred to as trafficking in persons. Federal law prohibits the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for the purpose of commercial sex act. The commercial sex act must be induced by the use of force, fraud, or coercion, or when the person induced to perform the act has not yet reached the age of 18.

The prosecution will spare no expense to achieve its goal of convicting any and all defendants charged with sex trafficking. The public demands it. In order to aid the jury’s understanding of sex trafficking, the prosecution may present expert testimony at a criminal trial describing the mechanics of the prostitution business and how pimps retain control over their prostitutes through the use of physical force, beatings, intimidation, and threats. The expert may also testify as to how pimps move their prostitutes around to different hotels to avoid detection by law enforcement and how prostitutes are advertised on the internet.

If you have been charged with a sex trafficking crime, you will need to retain an experienced sex trafficking defense attorney to counter the prosecution’s case and defend your constitutional rights. Call attorney Robert J. Shane now for a free phone consultation to discuss the facts of your case and possible defenses. Your future may depend on it.