SACRAMENTO, CA—A federal grand jury returned a single-count indictment today against William Morgan Banks, 31, of Sacramento, charging him with sex trafficking of a minor, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.

According to court documents, from June 6—11, 2015, Banks transported, harbored, and maintained a minor victim, knowing that the minor would be caused to engage in sex acts for money in Sacramento.

Banks is scheduled to be arraigned in Sacramento on July 9, 2015, at 2:00 p.m.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Sacramento Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Michele Beckwith is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Banks faces a minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

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 those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about Internet safety education.