Memphis, TN - Anthony Grandberry, 32, of Memphis, Tenn., was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison today by U.S. Senior District Judge Jon P. McCalla for conspiracy to engage in child sex trafficking, announced U. S. Attorney Edward L. Stanton III. Grandberry pled guilty to the charge on July 1, 2013.
In addition to the prison sentence, Grandberry will be subjected to 10 years of supervision after release from prison and will have to register as a sex offender. There is no chance of parole in the federal prison system.
“Today’s sentencing sends a clear message that any effort to sexually exploit a child for profit will not be tolerated and will result in severe consequences," said Edward L. Stanton III, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee. “Anthony Grandberry is going to spend over a decade in federal prison because he put a 14 year-old-girl to work as a prostitute and chose to prioritize commercial gain over the welfare of a minor."
According to the indictment, Grandberry received the 14-year-old girl from his co-defendant Orreco Lyons, also known as “Pico the Pimp," in December 2012 as partial payment for a debt Lyons owed Grandberry. Grandberry made the girl prostitute for several days before passing her along to another co-defendant, Keith Gibson, also known as “Greedy" and “Pee-Wee."
Lyons, along with co-defendants Tamara Ramsey and Falisha Edwards, pled guilty to sex trafficking conspiracy charges and are pending sentencing. Co-defendant Vivian Briggs pled guilty to using a facility of interstate commerce to promote child prostitution and is also pending sentencing. Gibson is set for trial in January 2014 and faces up to life in prison on child sex trafficking and child sex trafficking conspiracy charges.
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Memphis Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Skrmetti prosecuted the case.
U.S. Attorney Edward L. Stanton III established the Civil Rights Unit in February 2011 to ensure that every individual in the Western District of Tennessee enjoys the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States. The Civil Rights Unit assigns dedicated prosecutors to pursue the full spectrum of federal civil rights crimes, including official misconduct, human trafficking, and hate crimes, as well as law enforcement public corruption cases. Since the formation of the Civil Rights Unit, the Western District of Tennessee has consistently ranked as one of the top U.S. Attorney=s Offices in the country for the prosecution of sex trafficking. #
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
