DES MOINES, Iowa – On September 24, 2020, Kendall Andrew Streb, age 53, of Hills, Iowa, was sentenced to a total of 268 months in prison after being found guilty by a jury of three counts of child sex trafficking, two counts of distributing methamphetamine to children, one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of being an unlawful user in possession of a firearm, and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The case was presided over by United States District Court Judge Stephanie M. Rose.
During trial, the government presented evidence that Streb trafficked three teenagers in Iowa City, Coralville, and Cedar Rapids, primarily from November 2018 through February 2019. Streb solicited the three minors, aged 15 through 17 years old, by paying them in cash and methamphetamine in exchange for sex acts. Streb, at times, transported the teenagers to hotel rooms where he engaged in commercial sex acts with them. The evidence at trial showed that Streb knew one or more of the girls was under 18 years old, and he was otherwise was in reckless disregard of the fact that they were under the age of 18. Sex trafficking of a child is punishable by a minimum of ten years in prison, and up to life imprisonment.
United States Attorney Marc Krickbaum stated, “Kendall Streb will spend the next two decades in federal prison because he knowingly exploited teenage girls by paying them for sex. This sentence should serve as a wake-up call to anyone who believes he can escape serious criminal consequences if he is ‘just a john.’ We will continue to aggressively prosecute both buyers and sellers who sexually abuse children.”
Human trafficking is defined as a crime involving the exploitation of youth under the age of 18 for commercial sex; the exploitation of adults for commercial sex through the use of force, fraud, or coercion; and the exploitation of any individual for compelled labor. Human trafficking does not require the transportation of individuals across state lines, or that someone is physically restrained. Signs that a person is being trafficked can include working excessively long hours, unexplained gifts, physical injury, substance abuse issues, running away from home, isolation from others, or having a person in their life controlling them or monitoring them closely.
Anyone who suspects human trafficking is occurring, be it a minor engaging in paid sex acts, or anyone being coerced into prostitution or labor, is urged to call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
This matter was investigated by the Iowa City Police Department, with assistance from the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Coralville Police Department. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment