Detroit man convicted on charges for sex trafficking, child pornography
DETROIT, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - Lavonte Sampson, 39, of Detroit, was convicted by a federal jury on charges of sex trafficking a minor and producing child pornography, the United States Attorney's Office announced.
According to evidence at the trial, an undercover investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Southeast Michigan Trafficking and Exploitation Crimes Task Force was conducted to recover a missing 15-year-old girl.
A search of her cell phone discovered Facebook messages where Sampson recruited her to engage in commercial sex work, officials said.
He took photos of her and advertised them online, taking her to a Detroit motel where he arranged dates between her and other men where he collected the proceeds, investigation shows.
Sampson also had sex with the victim and recorded it without the victim's knowledge and sent the recording to the undercover agent when arranging a date, officials said.
A sentencing hearing for Sampson is scheduled for a later date, and he faces a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum of up to life in prison, the attorney's office said.