Delon Richard Smith, a 47-year-old resident of Daytona, Florida, has been sentenced to 327 months in federal prison for sex trafficking two women. The sentencing took place on Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida after Smith pleaded guilty last October to two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion and one count of conspiracy to commit those offenses. He was also ordered to pay $4,800 in restitution to the victims.
According to court records, Smith used threats and violence to force the victims into commercial sex work around Daytona Beach. He recruited the women separately in 2021 and 2022 by providing them with drugs and promises of income. Smith posted online advertisements featuring photographs of one victim and transported both women to various locations for commercial sex transactions.
Smith kept all proceeds from these acts and continued forcing the victims into prostitution through severe physical abuse. He frequently punched and choked them while referencing his gang membership in the Bloods as an additional means of intimidation. In one incident, he discharged a firearm and pressed its hot barrel against a victim’s face as punishment for not earning enough money. On another occasion, he struck a victim with a gun butt and dragged her by her hair for leaving their hotel room without permission.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva stated: “This sentence reflects the abhorrent acts of violence the defendant used to exploit the victims for his own personal profit. Commercial sex trafficking depends on the systematic dehumanization of its victims and debasing victims by treating them as commodities. The Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section will prosecute those who, like Smith, use people like disposable products for an illegal business and violate them in endless ways when doing so.”
U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida commented: “The manipulation and brutality used by the defendant in this case against his victims was egregious and reprehensible. Due to the hard work and diligence of our local and federal law enforcement partners, and courage of the victims, this criminal was brought to justice.”
Special Agent in Charge Jason Carley of the FBI Jacksonville Field Office said: “Sex trafficking is a violent crime, not a business. This defendant deliberately used force and coercion to control and exploit vulnerable women to line his own pockets. Crimes like this are not victimless. They cause lasting trauma and undermine the safety of our communities. The FBI will continue working with our partners to investigate those who use violence and exploitation to profit and ensure they are held fully accountable for their actions.”
The FBI Jacksonville Field Office led the investigation with help from Daytona Police Department.
The prosecution team included Trial Attorney Leah Branch from the Justice Department’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section along with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Megan Testerman and Kaley Austin-Aronson from the Middle District of Florida.
Authorities encourage anyone with information about human trafficking cases to contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org for more resources on identifying or reporting human trafficking incidents.
Further details about federal efforts against human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.
