Home Portland Press Releases 2010 Portland Man Detained on Transporting and Sex Trafficking Charges Involving a Minor
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Portland Man Detained on Transporting and Sex Trafficking Charges Involving a Minor

U.S. Attorney’s Office August 16, 2010
  • District of Oregon (503) 727-1000

PORTLAND, OR—Jefferson Davis, 22, appeared today for a detention hearing, following his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Court Judge Janice Stewart on Friday August 13, 2010. Davis was indicted by a federal grand jury on August 10, 2010 and arrested in Portland on August 12, 2010. He is charged in six counts with sex trafficking, transportation, and the forced labor of a 13-year-old female with the intent to engage in prostitution. Judge Sullivan ordered that Davis be held in custody pending trial as a flight risk and danger to the community. A jury trial has been set for October 19, 2010.

The indictment alleges that Davis transported the minor female from Portland, Oregon to Washington, California, and Nevada with the intent that she engage in prostitution. Force, fraud, and coercion were used to maintain the minor. Davis is alleged to have struck, beaten, and otherwise physically assaulted the minor whenever she refused to work as a prostitute. Davis allegedly benefitted from the trafficking, and obtained the services of the minor through threats of serious harm or causing her to believe that she would suffer serious harm if she did not perform such labor or services.

On the issue of detention, the court received statements from the minor victim and her family concerning their fears should Davis be released. They asserted that they believe Davis will seek retribution against them. In the time he spent with the victim, Davis obtained the minor’s address and told her that, “if she went to the police or talked about her trafficking, he would kill her family.” He then recited her address to her. Davis told investigators that he has ties with the Bloods Gang and would get his “Posse” involved.

A conviction for sex trafficking of a minor under 14 years of age carries a mandatory minimum 15-year sentence to a maximum of life imprisonment. The transportation counts each carry a mandatory minimum10 year sentence to a maximum of life imprisonment.

This case was investigated by the FBI and the Salem Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kemp L. Strickland.

This case was brought by the Oregon Human Trafficking Task Force (OHTTF). The OHTTF was created in May of 2005. Led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the task force provides a comprehensive collaborative approach to combat human trafficking through partnerships between federal, state, local law enforcement, social service providers, and other government and non-government agencies. For more information about OHTTF visit www.oregonoath.org. To provide a local tip on a human trafficking please call Multnomah County Sheriff Deputy Sgt. Keith Bickford at (503) 251-2479. You can also report human trafficking tip to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at 1-888-373-7888 or go online to NHTRC@PolarisProject.org.

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