Man Arrested for Sex Trafficking in Canton

Cherokee County Courthouse

Canton, Ga. - Cherokee County deputies arrested a 30-year-old man after accusing him of attempting to meet and sexually abuse a 15-year-old girl.

According to reports, the man was unaware that he had been communicating with an undercover investigator who was impersonating a young girl. The meet up was set up by the Crimes Against Children Unit. He was arrested for sex trafficking and child exploitation in Georgia.

As a Georgia Sex Crimes Lawyer, I will outline the offense of sex trafficking in today's post.

Sex Trafficking in Georgia

Georgia Law defines Sex Trafficking in Georgia in O.C.G.A. §16-5-46 as:

When a person knowingly subjects another person to or maintains another person in sexual servitude or knowingly recruits, entices, harbors, transports, provides, or obtains by any means another for the purpose of sexual servitude. 

By law, sexual servitude includes any sexually explicit conduct or performance involving sexually explicit conduct for which anything of value is directly or indirectly given, promised to, or received by any individual, which conduct is induced or obtained:

• By coercion or deception;
• From an individual who is under the age of 18 years;
• From an individual whom the accused believes to be under the age of 18 years;
• From an individual who has a developmental disability; or
• From an individual from whom the accused believes to have a developmental disability. 

If convicted of trafficking an individual for labor or sexual servitude, a person will be guilty of a felony and will be punished by a prison term of ten to twenty years and a fine up to $100,000.00. 

Furthermore, the penalty will be escalated if the person has a developmental disability or was under the age of 18 and was coerced or deceived into being trafficked for labor or sexual servitude. Upon conviction, the accused will be guilty of a felony and will receive a fine up to $100,000.00 and a prison term between twenty-five and fifty years.

Practice Note

Call our offices today if you or a loved one has been accused of committing a sex crime in Georgia. We can help you today.