SACRAMENTO, Calif. — On Thursday, after a seven-day trial, a
federal jury found Christopher Ramonaguilar Lawrence, 24, of Chico, guilty of
one count of sex trafficking of a child and one count of distribution of
methamphetamine to a person under 21, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott
announced.
According to court documents and evidence presented at
trial, in July and August 2017, Lawrence recruited a then 17-year-old girl to
engage in prostitution for his financial benefit. Lawrence used social media to
communicate with the victim, and on two occasions, he lured the victim to Chico
motel rooms where he gave the victim methamphetamine, explained the methods of
his prostitution business, including how to detect and evade law enforcement,
and continued to recruit the victim to work for him as a prostitute.
“Sex traffickers prey upon the vulnerabilities of their
young victims, luring them into a cycle of physical and psychological abuse and
addiction that is often difficult to escape,” said Special Agent in Charge Sean
Ragan of the FBI Sacramento Field Office. “The FBI is committed to identifying
and apprehending individuals who sexually exploit others for financial gain. We
seek to provide victims with an opportunity to escape the violent existence
they have endured and ensure their exploiters face justice.”
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal
Bureau of Investigation, the Chico Police Department, and the Butte County
Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian A. Fogerty and Quinn
Hochhalter are prosecuting the case.
Lawrence faces a mandatory minimum term of 10 years in
prison, a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison, and a $250,000 fine. The
actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court
after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal
Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment