A Wilmington man has been sentenced to 13.5 years in federal prison for luring a minor into sex trafficking and producing child sexual abuse material. Jesse Lonzo Teal, 73, pleaded guilty to coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity.
Court documents show that Teal used the internet to recruit women, including a minor girl, to perform commercial sex acts at his residence in Wilmington. He targeted victims who were vulnerable due to addiction or low intellectual functioning. According to the information presented in court, Teal used drugs and alcohol to control the victims and subjected them to bullying and belittlement. He recorded hundreds of images and videos of the women in sexually explicit situations, sometimes without their knowledge or consent. The court also heard that Teal offered the minor girl for commercial sex, paid her for sexual acts with himself and others, and produced child sexual abuse material involving her.
Teal’s charges stem from an investigation into Cape Fear Escorts, which authorities say operated as a front for prostitution and human trafficking for over ten years. Last year, Christopher Todd Evans—the owner of Cape Fear Escorts—was sentenced by a federal judge to 25 years in prison and ordered to pay $200,630.18 in restitution.
"Ellis Boyle, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II." The case was investigated by the FBI and New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Blondel prosecuting.
