New York Man Admits Role In Attempted Sex Trafficking Of A Minor

WILKES-BARRE- The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Adrian Smith, age 21, of New York, pleaded guilty on November 29, 2016, before United States Magistrate Judge Joseph F. Saporito, Jr., in Wilkes-Barre, to attempted sex trafficking of a minor.

According to United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, Smith admitted to assisting others in maintaining a minor for the purpose of having the minor engage in prostitution during August 2016, at a hotel in Scranton.  Smith also admitted that he provided prostitutes with a place to stay and provided protection for the minors in connection with the attempted sex trafficking activities.

Judge Saporito ordered a pre-sentence investigation to be completed.  Sentencing in the case will be scheduled by Senior United States District Court Judge Richard P. Conaboy.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Scranton Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Francis P. Sempa is prosecuting the case.

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."

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

The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is life imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. There is also a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison. 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.

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