The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that yesterday a federal grand jury in Harrisburg, returned an indictment against Albert E. Martinez, age 34, a resident of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. The indictment charges Martinez with sex trafficking of a minor, transportation of an individual to engage in prostitution, and transportation of a minor with the intent to engage in sexual activity.

According to United States Attorney Peter Smith, Martinez allegedly recruited and transported females between the ages of 16 and 18 years old to engage in commercial sex acts in motels in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Florida, and Rhode Island. Martinez allegedly rented motel rooms and posted “escort” advertisements and photographs on a website from October 2013 through September 2014.

Late yesterday, Martinez was arrested by the FBI and the Chambersburg Police Department. He was arraigned today in Harrisburg before Chief Magistrate Judge Martin C. Carlson and ordered temporarily detained pending his detention hearing.

The maximum sentence for the charge is up to life imprisonment, a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment on the offenses involving a minor, and a $250,000 fine.

This investigation, which is continuing, is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Chambersburg Police Department, and the Franklin County District Attorney’s Office, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Meredith A. Taylor.

Anyone with information regarding this case is to contact the Harrisburg office of the FBI at 717-232-8686.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc for more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”

Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

A sentence following a finding of guilty is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant’s educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.