She was only 13, but that didn’t matter to Kention Obryan Johnson and Sergio Trinidad Carvajal, say prosecutors.
The two men allegedly paid for sex with the child after contacting Curtis Vance Mathis, who was reportedly trafficking her for sex online. They allegedly met in a West Irving hotel room in November 2019. Hotel surveillance footage showed all three men enter the room, and DNA from used condoms left in the room was linked to Johnson, 35, and Carvajal, 30, according to prosecutors.
A federal grand jury indicted them for conspiracy to commit sex trafficking and sex trafficking of children on Sept. 2 and the indictments were released a week later.
Johnson and Carvajal face a maximum sentence of life in prison, as does Mathis, who has been charged with sex trafficking of a child. He was indicted in late 2019.
Erin Dooley, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Texas, said sex trafficking is a major focus of its efforts.
“Attorney Erin Nealy Cox stated in her press conference on Sept. 16, the majority of federal trafficking cases focus on the sellers, those who profit off of trafficking victims,” Dooley told the Lone Star Standard. “In the Johnson/Carvajal case, we also went after the buyers, the so-called johns who purchase sex from trafficking victims.
“The charges against Johnson and Carvajal were brought under the auspices of the Northern District's demand reduction initiative, which aims to punish and deter those who drive the market for sex with children and vulnerable persons,” she said. “Per the Abolish Human Trafficking Act of 2017, a person who knowingly purchases a commercial sex act with a trafficking victim is legally just as culpable as the person who supplies the trafficking victim for commercial sex.”
At the news conference announcing the indictments, Cox said the people who seek sex from children must be targeted, charged and punished.
“Traffickers sell children for sex because their clients will pay for it. It’s that simple,” she said. “By attacking both the supply and the demand, we think we will be able to truly make a difference in fighting this dehumanizing, horrific crime.”
Ryan L. Spradlin, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigation’s Dallas Field Office, said this crime will be a focus of his office as well.
“The sex trafficking of minors is a despicable crime that HSI Dallas and our dedicated partners will continue to prioritize and relentlessly investigate,” Spradlin said at the news conference. “Whether you’re involved in the actual trafficking or perpetuate it as a consumer, HSI will use every resource available to ensure you face justice. HSI will continue to pursue individuals involved in this type of modern-day slavery, and work vigorously to rescue the young, helpless victims whose dignity and well-being are blatantly disregarded.”
According to court documents, Mathis advertised the teenage girl from Fort Worth CityXGuide.com, an illegal website that has since been shut down. Johnson and Carvajal allegedly texted the girl and discussed their proposals and prices and went to the hotel room to purchase sex from the girl, who later told authorities she feared for her life.
When she was recovered from the hotel room, which allegedly was registered to Mathis, on Nov. 5, 2019, the teen was dressed only in an oversized hoodie.
Dooley said if convicted, the price the men paid for abusing the child will be a lot more than they bargained for last fall.
“As for penalties, they’re quite serious,” she said. “The federal charges in the Johnson/Carvajal case – conspiracy to commit sex trafficking and sex trafficking of children – come with potential life sentences. And remember, there’s no parole in the federal system.”
She said the Human Trafficking Institute’s 2019 report is “chock-full of statistics” that reveal the extent of the problem. It’s definitely a target of local investigators and prosecutors.
“Per HTI, out of the 94 federal districts, the Northern District of Texas charged the third highest number of trafficking defendants, surpassed only by the Southern District of New York and the Southern District of Texas,” Dooley said. “We had 46 active defendants in 2019.”
