Man Sentenced to Ten Years in Prison for Second Offense Involving the Sex Trafficking of Minors

Assistant U. S. Attorney Alessandra Serano (619) 546-8104

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – November 9, 2017

SAN DIEGO, CA – Anthony Khyree Dotson aka “Ant” was sentenced today to 120 months in prison and 10 years of supervised release for sex trafficking a 17-year old minor female while a fugitive for a prior federal conviction involving the same conduct. 

The case was initiated in April 2015 after a local high school counselor suspected that a student who attended the local high school was being trafficked. The counselor contacted the San Diego Police Department.  San Diego police detectives identified a vehicle that picked up the minor female from school and traced that vehicle back to Dotson, who was listed as an escapee from a halfway house in Los Angeles.  Dotson was serving the remainder of his federal prison sentence for a 2012 conviction for the same conduct involving two 16-year old minor females. 

In the current case, detectives identified an online ad for the minor on backpage.com in May of 2015 and called the number. A young female answered the call and directed the detective, posing as a customer, to a hotel in Mission Valley. Detectives observed Dotson with the minor in the parking lot of the hotel. The minor exited Dotson’s vehicle and directed the “customer” - an undercover officer, posing as a sex buyer - to a room where the minor was arrested.  Detectives located male clothing and used condoms in the trash can. The room was registered to Dotson and video surveillance showed Dotson checking into the room with the minor female wearing the same clothing found in the hotel room.  Dotson was apprehended waiting in his vehicle in the hotel parking lot.

United States District Judge Dana M. Sabraw, who sentenced Dotson for his prior offense, stated that he hoped Dotson “would move away” from this activity as he would be facing more significant prison time if he chose to engage in this offense in the future.  Sabraw noted that the penalties are harsh “for good reason” as the victims of these crimes are forever affected.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Alessandra P. Serano noted that the sentence imposed was more than double the amount of time Dotson received in 2012. 

“We will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to detect and prosecute persons who engage in sex trafficking, a form of modern day slavery,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Alana Robinson.

“Every day, the FBI and our law enforcement partners at the Innocence Lost Task Force work to thwart these child predators.  In this case, it was an alert school counselor who noticed the signs of human trafficking and reported it to law enforcement,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Eric S. Birnbaum.  “This case shows the community working together with law enforcement to combat this horrific crime.”

If you believe you are the victim of a trafficking situation or may have information about a potential trafficking situation, call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) at 1-888-373-7888. NHTRC is a national, toll-free hotline, with specialists available to answer calls from anywhere in the country, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, every day of the year related to potential trafficking victims, suspicious behaviors, and/or locations where trafficking is suspected to occur.

This prosecution is the fruit of the collaborative work of the San Diego Police Department and the FBI’s Innocence Lost Task Force. 

DEFENDANTS                                Case Number: 17CR0638-DMS

Anthony Khyree Dotson aka “Ant”   Age: 26           San Diego, CA

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Sex Trafficking of Children, Title 18 U.S.C. § 1591(a) and (b) – Maximum Penalties: life in prison, Sex Offender Registration

INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

San Diego Police Department

Federal Bureau of Investigation