Montgomery man convicted of human trafficking sentenced to 60 years in prison
A U.S. District Court judge sentenced a 36-year-old Montgomery man to 60 years in prison for human trafficking and ordered him to pay more than $950,000 in restitution.
U.S. District Court Judge R. Austin Huffaker Jr. of the Middle District of Alabama released his decision Friday.
In June, a jury convicted Lonnie Mitchell of trafficking five victims for sex, including a minor, by force, fraud and coercion. Jury members also found Mitchell guilty of three counts of coercing and enticing an individual to travel in interstate commerce for prostitution purposes.
“We hope this outcome will contribute to the victims’ healing process, but also serve as a warning to others who would victimize others for their own financial gain. HSI special agents and our law enforcement partners will continue to protect our communities from illegal trafficking and narcotics activity," DHS Homeland Security Investigations Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Katrina Berger said in a Department of Justice press release.
“The defendant used unspeakable violence and manipulation of the victims’ substance abuse problems to control their every move and exploit them for his own financial gain,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said in the press release. “Human trafficking is an atrocious crime that targets some of the most vulnerable members of our society, cruelly robbing them of their dignity and freedom."
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Montgomery, Alabama, man convicted of human trafficking sentencing
