A Toledo man was indicted on charges of sex trafficking and sexual exploitation of a child after taking and advertising sexually explicit photos of a minor on the Internet and facilitating dozens of commercial sex acts, said U.S. Attorney Carole S. Rendon and FBI Special Agent in Charge Stephen D. Anthony.
Lawrence Jones, 29, met via social media a minor who had run away from home. Jones transported the girl to a home on Coventry Avenue in Toledo, where he took nude photographs of her and posted them online, offering commercial sex acts in the Toledo area in January, according to court documents.
The minor performed approximately 25 commercial sex acts, with all the money going to Jones. The minor told Jones several times that she was not yet 18 years old, according to court documents.
If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after reviewing factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and, in most cases, it will be less than the maximum.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Toledo office and the Northwest Ohio Violent Crimes Against Children Task Force. The case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alissa M. Sterling and Daniel R. Hurley.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Defendants are entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
