Fourth Defendant Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges in Commercial Sex Trafficking Ring

Prosecution Brought under Project Safe Childhood

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  – Keron Eugene Lucious, 22, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, pleaded guilty in federal court today to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor.

            Lucious was one of eight defendants charged in a superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury on April 10, 2018.  The indictment charged the defendants with various crimes, including conspiracy to recruit and force minors to engage in commercial sex acts in New Mexico and Arizona.  In Lucious’s plea agreement, he admitted participating in a conspiracy involving the prostitution of a child under 18 years old.  Lucious transported the child in interstate commerce for purposes of prostitution.  He paid for hotel rooms for the child to engage in commercial sex acts.  Lucious shared the money earned from this prostitution with his co-conspirators.  He also facilitated his criminal activity using a wireless telephone and social media.   

            Lucious is in custody awaiting sentencing.  He faces from 10 years to life in prison.   Three of the other defendants in the case have also pleaded guilty and await sentencing.  Jason Jackson, 25, of Albuquerque, pleaded guilty on March 8, 2019.  He is currently in custody and faces from 11 to 15 years in prison under the terms of his plea agreement.  Devin Perkins, 23, of Albuquerque, pleaded guilty on May 9, 2019.  Perkins is also in custody.  He has agreed to a sentence of 10 years in prison.  Chante Bickham, 26, of Albuquerque, pleaded guilty on August 9, 2019.  She is out of custody awaiting sentencing where she faces up to six years in prison.

            Charges are still pending against Camara Cherry-Amos, 25, Breeauna Langton, 21, and Andrew Wyatt, 30, all of Albuquerque, and John Dompierre, 46, of Phoenix, Arizona.  Charges in indictments are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty in a court of law.

The charges is this case arose from a joint investigation involving the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, the New Mexico Office of the Attorney General, and the Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office.  Assistant U.S. Attorney George C. Kraehe is prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and DOJ’s Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.