Demecia Shontres Washington, a 42-year-old Dallas woman, was convicted May 10 in Nevada on multiple federal charges of child sex trafficking and could face up to life in prison.
Evidence presented at trial to a federal jury showed that Washington and co-defendant Jimmy David Washington Jr., 35, of Lubbock, allegedly recruited and coerced a child under the age of 18 to engage in "commercial sex acts and to produce child pornography," My Texas Daily reported.
"According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, from August-September in 2018, Demecia Washington conspired with co-defendant Jimmy David Washington Jr. to recruit and coerce a child under 18 to engage in commercial sex acts and to produce child pornography," Channel 8 News reported.
Channel 8 News said the pair transported the underage child from Texas to New Mexico and then to Nevada.
Demecia Washington was found guilty and convicted on charges of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, sex trafficking, conspiracy to transport for prostitution or other criminal sexual activity, transportation for prostitution or other criminal sexual activity, conspiracy to sexually exploit children, sexual exploitation of children and distribution of child pornography by U.S. District Judge Andrew Gordon, according to My Texas Daily.
"The statutory maximum penalty for sex trafficking, transportation for purposes of prostitution, and conspiracy to commit those offenses is life in prison, with mandatory minimum penalties of 10 years for each offense," the U.S. Attorney's Office District of Nevada stated in a news release. "The statutory maximum penalty for sexual exploitation of children and conspiracy to commit that offense is 30 years in prison, with mandatory minimum penalties of 15 years for both offenses. The statutory maximum penalty for distribution of child pornography is 20 years in prison, with a mandatory minimum penalty of five years for that offense."
The case, investigated by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation with prosecution by assistant U.S. attorneys Christopher Burton and Bianca Pucci, was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. The project is a national initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the increasing "epidemic" of child sexual exploitation and abuse, the release from the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
“Sex trafficking — especially when it involves preying on children and forcing them into commercial sexual exploitation — subjects victims to appalling cruelty,” acting U.S. Attorney Christopher Chiou for the District of Nevada said, as reported by My Texas Daily. “Combatting human trafficking remains one of our office’s top priorities. Working closely with our law enforcement and community partners, our dedicated prosecutors are focused on bringing traffickers to justice and off the streets, away from victims.”
A 2016 report from the University of Texas at Austin said there are 313,453 victims of human trafficking in Texas at any given time with approximately 78,996 of those minor victims of human trafficking and 234,457 as victims of labor.
Jimmy Washington Jr. pleaded guilty to the transportation of a minor for prostitution and was sentenced to 10 years and 10 months in prison followed by 15 years supervised release, Channel 8 News reported.
Sentencing for Demecia Shontres Washington has been scheduled for Sept. 1, My Texas Daily stated.
