PHILADELPHIA—Paul Sewell, 49, of Reading, PA, was sentenced yesterday to 23 years in prison for sex trafficking of minors or of adults by force, and production of child pornography. Sewell pleaded guilty, on September 21, 2011, to four counts of sex trafficking and three counts of production. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge C. Darnell Jones, II, ordered five years of supervised release and ordered Sewell to pay $52,000 in restitution.

Sewell ran a prostitution ring in the Reading area through which he hired females, including minors, to work for him. Sewell, who called himself “God,” insisted that the girls who worked for him be tattooed with “God” and a nickname he gave them as a “working name.” He also photographed the girls so that he could feature them on a website called “cashmoneybrothersescorts.com,” on which he advertised them as escorts. Sewell took sexually explicit pictures of the girls to e-mail to potential clients. Sewell also subjected some females to physical violence to force them to continue working for the venture.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Berks County Detectives with the assistance of the Berks County District Attorney’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Morgan.