20-year sentence for sex trafficking of 13 year old

Editor’s Note:  The I-5 corridor running right through our little town of Redding, and connecting us to Portland Oregon, where this case originates, is known to be one of the primary transportation routes for human trafficking.  It is said that there are hundreds of human slaves transported right through our town each week.

PORTLAND — A 23-year-old man who pleaded guilty to sex trafficking of a minor was sentenced Wednesday in Portland to 20 years in federal prison.

The U.S. attorney’s office says the case against Jefferson Bryant Davis involved a 13-year-old girl who turned herself into authorities last year while working in Los Angeles as a prostitute. She said Davis forced her to work as a prostitute in Washington, Oregon, California and Nevada.

The case was brought through the Oregon Human Trafficking Task Force and investigated by the FBI and Salem police.

— From wire reports

Here is the original report from 2010:

Portland man charged in forced prostitution of 13-year-old

A 22-year-old Portland man faces federal sex-trafficking charges for allegedly transporting a 13-year old girl to three other states where he forced her into prostitution and beat her when she resisted.

Jefferson Bryant Davis, 22, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Court Judge Janice Stewart today who denied him bail. A jury trial for the sex-trafficking and transportation counts has been set for October 19, 2010, according to a U.S. Department of Justice press release.

According to the indictment, Davis transported the girl from Portland to Washington, California and Nevada with the intent that she engage in prostitution. He allegedly beat her and threatened her when she tried to refuse.

The victim and her family sent statements to the court expressing their fears if Davis were to be released, the justice department said. Davis allegedly got the girl’s address and threatened to kill her family if she talked to the police. He also made references to a gang affiliation.

Davis faces a mandatory minimum 15-year sentence to a maximum of life imprisonment if convicted of sex trafficking of a minor under 14. He faces a mandatory minimum 10-year sentence to a maximum of life imprisonment for conviction of each of the counts of transporting her.

The FBI and Salem Police investigated the case which was brought by the Oregon Human Trafficking Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kemp Strickland is prosecuting the case.

Source:  OregonLive.com