Kalamazoo, Michigan, Man Sentenced To 235 Months In Prison For Sex Trafficking And Interstate Transportation For Prostitution

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – David Q. Givhan, aka “Premier,” 35, of Kalamazoo, Michigan, was sentenced to 235 months in prison by United States District Court Judge David J. Hale, after being convicted by jury of one count of sex trafficking and three counts of interstate transportation for prostitution announced United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr.

“Forcible sex trafficking is effectively a form of modern day slavery,” stated United States Attorney John Kuhn. “Givhan terrorized vulnerable women through violence, threats and other actions. My Office and the Department of Justice will vigorously prosecute these brutal crimes. And today's sentence should send a powerful message that sex trafficking will be severely punished.”

According to evidence and testimony presented at trial, Givhan prostituted three women for his profit at various times between October 2014 and April 2015 and transported them from Michigan to Kentucky and other states for the purpose of prostitution. He used force, fraud and coercion to compel one of the women to prostitute for him between October 2014 and March 2015. He initially recruited the woman – a single mother of three – using false promises of steady income and a better life. However, once she began earning money, he kept it all. Givhan required her to earn $1,000 a day and beat other women in front of her. Givhan also required her to tattoo his alias, “Premier,” on her neck and threatened to hurt or kill her or her family if she refused to continue prostituting for him. When she objected to his demand that she perform particular acts for customers, he sexually assaulted her. At one point, the woman tried to leave Givhan, but he found her and brought her back. On a trip to Florida, he compelled her to continue prostituting for his profit, even after she sought medical attention for severe pain and bleeding. Shortly thereafter, she managed to escape by enlisting the help of a hotel clerk and her mother.

After deliberating for under five hours, the jury found the defendant guilty on all four counts on December 13, 2016. A fifth count was dismissed during trial. Givhan remains in federal custody.

The investigation was opened when Louisville Metro Police Department officers encountered a woman Givhan had transported from Michigan to Louisville, Kentucky, during a prostitution sting coinciding with the Kentucky Derby.

The case was investigated by the FBI’s Louisville Division and Louisville Metro Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Amanda E. Gregory of the Western District of Kentucky and Trial Attorney William Nolan of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit.