FARGO - U. S. Attorney Christopher C. Myers announced that on April 18, 2016, Anthony Lamarr Sims, 21, a.k.a. Mar Mar, Minneapolis, Minn., was sentenced before U. S. District Judge Ralph R. Erickson to serve 14 years in prison for one count of Sex Trafficking of Children. Judge Erickson also sentenced Sims to serve 10 years of supervised release and to pay a $100 special assessment to the Crime Victims’ Fund.
"For predators convicted of the horrendous crime of sex trafficking minors, there are severe consequences in the form of a lengthy prison sentence, as Mr. Sims has learned firsthand," said Special Agent in Charge Alex Khu of HSI in St. Paul. "This case is a result of the excellent relationship between HSI special agents and local police officers who continuously work together to root out this type of violent activity to keep communities safe"
This case came to the attention of law enforcement after a Fargo Police Officer encountered the 15-year-old victim during a traffic stop on Jan. 16, 2015. At the time of the traffic stop the victim provided a false name to law enforcement. The victim was then transferred to the Cass County jail, after which law enforcement discovered she was a runaway from a St. Paul, Minnesota. A subsequent investigation revealed that Sims brought the victim from Minneapolis to Fargo for the purpose of prostitution. Before he traveled to Fargo on Jan. 15, 2015, Sims directed another individual to post an advertisement on backpage.com wherein it was advertised that there were women available for commercial sex.
This case was investigated by the Fargo Police Department and the Department of Homeland Security - Homeland Security Investigations.
Assistant U. S. Attorney Jennifer Puhl prosecuted the case.
This case was prosecuted with the assistance of the North Dakota Human Trafficking Task Force (NDHTTF), which includes regional response teams that consist of federal, state, and local law enforcement and victim service providers working together to identify and rescue human trafficking victims as well as investigate and prosecute human trafficking cases. Led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, BCI, and the North Dakota Counsel on Abused Women Services (CAWS), the NDHTTF is dedicated to addressing the individualized needs of human trafficking victims and the apprehension, investigation, and prosecution of the perpetrators of human trafficking.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
