Fairfax Woman Convicted of Sex Trafficking a 15-Year-Old Girl

ALEXANDRIA, VA—Stephanie Chapman, 28, of Fairfax, Virginia, was convicted today by a federal jury on charges of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a child, sex trafficking of a child, and interstate transportation of a minor for the purposes of prostitution.

Dana J. Boente, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; and Colonel Edwin C. Roessler, Jr., Fairfax County Chief of Police, made the announcement after the verdict was accepted by United States District Judge Liam O’Grady.

Chapman faces a maximum penalty of life in prison with a mandatory minimum term of 10 years of imprisonment when she is sentenced on January 24, 2014.

Chapman was indicted on July 11, 2013, by a federal grand jury. According to court records and evidence adduced at trial, between February 27, 2013 and March 12, 2013, Chapman and her boyfriend, Ronnie Holmes, met a 15-year-old girl and recruited her to be a prostitute for them. During that time, Chapman and Holmes took sexually suggestive photographs of the girl; sent the photographs to potential customers; posted the photographs on Backpage.com; drove the girl to meet with customers at locations in Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia; and took half of the money paid to the girl after she engaged in sex with customers for money.

Chapman’s co-defendant, Ronnie Holmes, previously pleaded guilty to sex trafficking of a child.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Fairfax County Police Department. Special Assistant United States Attorney Stacey Luck and Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Frank are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae.