Marietta Hotel Named as Sex Trafficking Hub

Cobb County Courthouse

Marietta, Ga. - According to authorities with Cobb County, a local hotel in Marietta on Northwest Parkway has been named as a sex trafficking hub.

Reports state that employees of the hotel aided sex traffickers in hiding from police and were actually paid by the crime ring. As a Georgia Criminal Defense Lawyer, I will outline the law behind the offense of sex trafficking in today's post.

Sex Trafficking in Georgia

O.C.G.A. §16-5-46 defines sex trafficking in Georgia 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 development disability; or
• From an individual from whom the accused believes to have a development 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

If you or a loved one has been arrested for sex crime, contact our offices now.