WASHINGTON—A Memphis man pleaded guilty yesterday to the sex trafficking of a 16 year-old girl, announced Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Edward L. Stanton III of the Western District of Tennessee and Special Agent in Charge Todd McCall of the FBI’s Memphis Division.

During his plea hearing, Laron Matlock, 33, of Memphis, admitted that he purchased a bus ticket for a 16-year-old girl to travel from Chicago to Memphis on July 28, 2012, for the purpose of engaging in prostitution. Matlock further admitted to transporting the victim from Memphis to Nashville for the purpose of prostitution. Matlock was arrested on Aug. 1, 2012, after he returned to Memphis with the victim and attempted to take her to a customer’s house for the purpose of prostitution.

Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 30, 2015, before U.S. District Judge Jon Phipps McCalla of the Western District of Tennessee.

This case was investigated by the Civil Rights Human Trafficking Taskforce, the FBI’s Memphis Division and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department. This case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Mi Yung Park of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian K. Coleman of the Western District of Tennessee.