Tennessee Man Charged with Sex Trafficking
A federal grand jury in Knoxville, Tennessee, indicted Marcus Washington, 37, of Farragut, Tenn., charging him with two counts of sex trafficking by force, threats of force, fraud and coercion; conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute a controlled substance; and possession with the intent to distribute a controlled substance.
The indictment, on file with the U.S. District Court, charges Washington with separate counts of sex trafficking by force, threats of force, fraud and coercion in relation to two victims.
Washington is also charged with conspiring with others to possess with the intent to distribute, and the distribution of oxycodone, a Schedule II controlled substance, and a substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine, also a Schedule II controlled substance.
He is also charged with possessing with the intent to distribute oxycodone. Washington faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison if convicted of either trafficking charge. Both narcotics charges carry a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison.
In 2014, the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline, operated by Polaris, received reports of 3,598 sex trafficking cases inside the United States.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children estimates one in six runaway children are likely to be sex trafficking victims.
The International Labor Organization estimates that there are 4.5 million people trapped in forced sexual exploitation globally.
