Rich Graessle/PPI/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Department of Justice announced
Friday that Edward Walker of Connecticut was found guilty of bringing
two adult women and a 17-year-old girl to Miami in February 2020 for
the purpose of sex trafficking during the NFL’s Super Bowl LIV week.
A federal jury in Florida found Walker, 48, guilty of sex trafficking by force and coercion, sex trafficking of a
minor by force and coercion, and transporting a person for sexual
activity.
He faces life in prison at sentencing in January.
Evidence presented during the case,
which was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern
District of Florida, showed Walker had plans to take the women to
other places after the Super Bowl to “further sexually exploit
them.”
Walker’s other planned destinations
included Chicago for the 2020 NBA All-Star Game, New Orleans for
Mardi Gras and Las Vegas.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alejandra L.
Lopez and Brian Dobbins said Walker “emotionally,
psychologically and financially coerced the victims into soliciting
customers and having sex with them” and kept all of the money
for himself.
The case’s investigation was handled by
the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.
In 2019, the Polaris Project reported
11,500 instances of human trafficking affecting over 22,000 survivors
and involving nearly 4,400 alleged traffickers.
The Department of Justice asked anyone
with information about suspected human trafficking to call
1-888-373-7888.
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
