U. S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming | U.S. Department of Justice
Carrie Little has been sentenced to 20 years in prison by U.S. District Judge John A. Ross for prostituting a minor. The sentencing took place on Thursday.
Starting as early as 2018, Little recruited women for prostitution, including a 17-year-old minor. She provided the victim with accommodation and used sexually suggestive and explicit photos of the minor in online ads for commercial sex. Little handled calls to arrange sexual encounters and prices. Payments made by men were either given directly to Little or the victim, who had to surrender most of it to her.
In a letter to the court, the victim, now an adult, described experiencing verbal abuse, physical abuse, sexual exploitation, neglect, and shame under Little's control. The victim wrote that she was initially tasked with handling phone calls and posting ads before being taken on "dates," which gradually prepared her for more severe exploitation.
Little pleaded guilty in August to one count of coercion or enticement of a minor at age 44.
The investigation was conducted by the St. Louis County Police Human Trafficking Task Force along with the FBI St. Louis Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force and Hazelwood Police Department. Victim support was provided by Crisis Aid International and the International Institute of Saint Louis. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dianna Edwards and Nathan Chapman prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse through coordinated efforts among federal, state, and local agencies.
For further details about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.
