An Ohio man's recently announced 15-year federal prison sentence for sex trafficking is exactly what he deserved for his 'insidious crime," said an assistant U.S. attorney in a U.S. Department of Justice news release.
Larrien Brown-Austin, 37, of Canton, Ohio, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Pamela Barker in Cleveland, to 15 years in prison and a ifetime of supervised release, according to DOJ's May 25 news release.
"This defendant targeted vulnerable victims and exploited their drug dependency, all in an attempt to make money and feed his own heinous and selfish wants," said first assistant U.S. attorney Michelle Baeppler in the news release. "Human trafficking is an insidious crime, and law enforcement will use every means available to ensure that these traffickers face justice."
Brown-Austin's sentencing follow a plea agreement he reached with federal prosecutors in January. He pleaded guilty in a sex trafficking conspiracy where he forced victims to perform sex acts for money. Brown-Austin also was ordered to pay a $5,000 special assessment fine and $1,885 in restitution to his victims.
Brown-Austin lived at a residence in Canton that had been provided by his father from June-August 2018 which he "used to facilitate commercial sex acts," the news release said, citing court documents. In June 2018, Brown-Austin met "Victim No. 1" and "Victim No. 2," whom he forced to live at the residence, perform sex acts in exchange for money and turn the "profits" over to him, the news release said.
Brown-Austin supplied his victims with drugs "in an attempt to foster an addiction and withdrawal dependency cycle" that kept his victims reliant upon him for more drugs, in addition to "force, threats, acts of violence," the news release said.
"Brown-Austin also kept a mobile tracking application on the cell phones of his victims in order to determine their whereabouts at all times," the news release said.
Brown-Austin's co-defendants, Shannon Marzano and Larry Brown-Austin, both of Canton, previously pleaded guilty and have been sentenced.
"Identifying, investigating and apprehending sex trafficking offenders is a critical part of our mission," said Cleveland FBI acting special agent Philip Frigm Jr. in the news release. "The sentence handed down reflects the tireless effort of the FBI and our law enforcement partners to examine criminal enterprises operating within our communities and bring to justice those who endanger public health and safety. The FBI commends the work of our investigating and prosecuting partners to protect our neighborhoods for law-abiding citizens and remove these offenders from our communities who prey on vulnerable people."
