Five Sex Traffickers Sentenced for Pimping 14-Year-Old Girls

ATLANTA – Fabian Terran Murray, a/k/a “Shooter,”--one of five men charged in two related cases involving the pimping of three 14-year-old girls and a 16-year-old girl at hotels in Atlanta, Georgia, and elsewhere-- was sentenced to 17 years, nine months in federal prison.  This sentencing brings to a close the prosecution of the two sex-trafficking conspiracies.

Defendants Joshua Thomas Hill, also known as “Cash,” Clinton Saintvil, Richard Douglas King, also known as “Ready,” and Jonathan Branch, were previously sentenced on July 10, 2014, July 14, 2014, and August 1, 2014.

“These men pimped girls as young as 14 years old, who they knew to be runaways and especially vulnerable,” said Acting U.S. Attorney John Horn.  “The coordinated efforts of federal and local law enforcement officers, together with the courage of these young trafficking survivors, rescued four teenage girls from the horrific victimization cycle and restored them to safety.”  

"The sentencing of Fabian “Shooter” Murray continues to mark the successful collaboration of Atlanta area law enforcement in aggressively addressing the juvenile sex industry as well as the trafficking of these juveniles in support of that industry,” said J. Britt Johnson, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Atlanta Field Office.  “The FBI led Metro Atlanta Child Exploitation (MATCH) Task Force, consisting of experienced law enforcement officers and agents working together across many jurisdictional boundaries,  credits its many successful investigations and resulting prosecutions through not only the sharing of information but by also combining resources and assets.  The defendants in these cases represent not only the successes of this task force but also the need for it.”

According to Acting United States Attorney Horn, the charges, and other information presented in court:  The defendants were indicted in two related cases on charges of conspiracy to commit and commission of sex trafficking of a minor. The investigation that led to these indictments is described as follows:

U.S. v. Hill, Murray, and Saintvil

On February 19, 2012, Hill, Murray, and Saintvil met two 14-year-old girls, A.C. and O.M., at a park in Marietta, Georgia.  The girls told the men that they were runaways.  Hill, Murray, and Saintvil drove the girls to a nearby convenience store where they purchased condoms.  When Hill and Murray entered the store, Saintvil told the girls that they would be working for the defendants as prostitutes.  After leaving the convenience store, the men drove the girls to an extended stay hotel.  Hill and Murray caused A.C. and O.M. to commit commercial sex acts at various hotels in the Atlanta metro area, soliciting clients for the girls on the website “Backpage Atlanta.”  Saintvil drove the girls to the various locations where they engaged in commercial sex acts.  On one occasion, Hill and Saintvil drove A.C. and O.M. to meet a male client at a high-rise condominium in Midtown Atlanta.  Cobb County, Georgia, Police Department officers discovered the girls on February 22, 2012, during a search of a hotel room.

During this same time, Hill and Saintvil also caused a third 14-year-old girl, M.Q., to engage in prostitution. Sometime in or about February 2012, Hill engaged in sex acts with the girl, after which he told her that she would be committing commercial sex acts for Hill. Saintvil transported Hill and the girl to various hotels where Hill caused her to engage in prostitution. Marietta, Georgia, Police Department officers found the girl with Hill on February 10, 2012, at a local motel.

U.S. v. Murray, King, and Branch

Additionally, Murray, King, and Branch engaged in conspiracy to commit, and commission of, sex trafficking of J.B., a 16-year-old girl, who the defendants knew was a runaway from New York.  On or about June 30, 2012, Cobb County Police Department officers received a call from J.B., who reported that she was being held against her will. An FBI Special Agent and a detective with the Cobb County Crimes Against Children Unit immediately met with the girl, who told the investigators that she met Murray and King in May 2012. Murray took the girl to an apartment and soon after began, with King, to cause her to engage in prostitution at truck stops on Fulton Industrial Boulevard, and at various motels, in Atlanta.  The men used the website “Backpage Atlanta” to solicit clients for the girl. Branch drove J.B. to the various locations where Murray and King trafficked her.

Sentences Imposed

• Murray, 27, of Tifton, Georgia, pleaded guilty on April 18, 2014, to conspiracy to commit, and commission of, sex trafficking of a minor and was sentenced by United States District Judge William S. Duffey, Jr. to 17 years, nine months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release.

• Branch, 24, of Atlanta, Georgia, pleaded guilty on October 13, 2013, to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor and was sentenced to five years, ten months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release.

• Saintvil, 27, of Miami, Florida, pleaded guilty on February 2, 2014, to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor and was sentenced to six years, six months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release.

• Hill, 27, of Atlanta, Georgia, also pleaded guilty on April 18, 2014, to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor and was sentenced to 16 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release.

• King, 27, of Atlanta, Georgia, pleaded guilty on April 29, 2014, to sex trafficking of a minor and was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release.

All the defendants must register as sex offenders as a condition of their supervised release.  In addition, Murray, Hill, and Saintvil must pay restitution of $1,000 to minors O.M. and A.C.; Hill and Saintvil must pay restitution of $3,000 to minor M.Q.; and Murray, King, and Branch must pay restitution of $1,000 to minor J.B.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Metro Atlanta Child Exploitation Task Force with assistance from the Cobb County Police Department’s Crimes Against Children Unit, the Marietta Police Department, and the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office.

Assistant United States Attorneys Richard S. Moultrie, Jr. and Phyllis Clerk prosecuted the case.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the home page for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia Atlanta Division is http://www.justice.gov/usao/gan/.