Two Maryland residents were recently sentenced for their part in a sex trafficking operation involving teenage victims.
Willis Lewis, 49, of Oxon Hill, and Brittany Jones, 33, of Suitland, received a life sentence and 14 years, respectively, according to a March 3 news release. The two were charged on multiple counts of trafficking a 15-year-old girl and a 17-year-old girl between April and May of 2019.
"Those harming our young women and girls need to know that the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, along with the FBI and our other law enforcement partners, will track you down and hold you accountable for the pain and suffering you cause," U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Matthew M. Graves said in the release.
The defendants are also ordered to pay $17,000 each in restitution to the victims and were sentenced to 10 years of supervised release, the news release reported.
In May 2022, Lewis was found guilty of four counts of sex trafficking of children by force, fraud and coercion; one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; three counts of coercion or enticement of a minor; two counts of transporting for prostitution; one count of interstate travel and transportation in aid of racketeering; and a firearms offense, the release reported. He was sentenced to life on 10 counts and to 15 years on the two remaining counts. His two sentences will run concurrently.
Jones was convicted of four counts including sex trafficking, conspiracy and transportation in aid of racketeering, according to the release.
Lewis' sentencing is an example to other traffickers, Graves said, according to the release.
"This lengthy sentence gets a dangerous predator off the streets for a very long time," Graves said in the release. "His lengthy confinement will keep other teenagers safe and serve as a warning to those who are considering exploiting our youth."
Lewis targeted the teenagers, DOJ Civil Rights Division Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said in the news release.
"This defendant targeted children, callously exploiting their vulnerability," Clark said in the release. "The Department of Justice remains committed to holding traffickers accountable for the pernicious and inhumane exploitation of young children despite the harm these crimes inflict. We will use every tool at our disposal to obtain justice and restitution for the victims of human trafficking. We commend the courageous young victims here who stood up to their traffickers."
