Five defendants have now pled guilty to charges arising out of Sex Trafficking of a Minor Investigation. Bowen, Jr. Hart , who faces up to five years in prison for his limited role in the sex trafficking organization, pled guilty to Using a Facility of Interstate Commerce to Facilitate the Carrying on of a Business Involving Prostitution.
The other four Defendants charged include:. The charge carries a possible sentence of life imprisonment. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled. More collaborative efforts and faster responses by law enforcement agencies are needed to protect our children. The FBI will continue to provide significant investigative resources toward investigations that focus on juvenile sex trafficking within Georgia. According to evidence presented during several guilty plea hearings, Daniels , in the summer of , encouraged a year-old girl to leave home and begin working for and with Daniels as a prostitute.
Daniels placed ads on Backpage. Soon afterwards, Barnes , who met the victim through Daniels , encouraged the victim to begin working for Barnes in the same way.
Ultimately, the two met up with Castillo , who assumed a leadership role in the operation. Castillo enlisted the assistance of Hedrick and Barnes in preparing images and videos of the minor to be used to advertise her availability for prostitution. Hart assisted Barnes in posting some of those advertisements on Backpage. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, which is a nationwide U.
Department of Justice initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Durham at You are here U. Department of Justice. Monday, May 12, Component s :.
