Columbia, South Carolina ----- United States Attorney Bill Nettles stated today that a Federal Grand Jury in Greenville, South Carolina, returned a multi-count Indictment alleging
* conspiracy to traffic in children by force for the purposes of prostitution in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1594(c),
* substantive counts charging each coconspirator with trafficking in children in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1591, and
* the transportation of minors in interstate commerce with the intent to engage in sexual activity, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2423.
The following individuals were charged in the indictment: Brandon L. Littlejohn, age 26, D’Shawn C. Pitts, age 19, Dylan L. Patterson, age 19, Michael G. Riddle, age 20, Michael D. Whitaker, age 25, John A. Gossett, III, age, 22, and Bryson L. Stewart, age 23, all of Spartanburg, South Carolina.
The indictment alleges that the defendants recruited minor victims and young women to work for them, and then instructed and supervised the minor victims and young women on how to solicit and charge for commercial sex acts. The indictment also states that the conspirators “would and did physically beat or threaten to physically beat the minor victims and young women to scare and control them."
U.S. Attorney Nettles said, “Because human trafficking takes a great personal and psychological toll on the victims and society as a whole, this office and our federal and state partners are committed to devoting the resources required so that all allegations of human trafficking in South Carolina are investigated."
“The defendants stand accused of exploiting under aged girls through a sex trafficking scheme across multiple states," said Special Agent in Charge Nick S. Annan, head of ICE Homeland Security Investigations in Atlanta. "Thanks to some excellent police work by the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office and my special agents, we have rescued a number of victims and the perpetrators will be brought before the court to face justice."
The maximum penalty the Defendants could face is life imprisonment, and/or a fine of $250,000, and five years of supervised release. The case was investigated by agents of the Department of Homeland Security, Office of Investigations, and the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office. The case is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Bill Watkins of the Greenville office for prosecution.
The United States Attorney stated that all charges in this Indictment are merely accusations, and that all defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
