Gainesville Man Sentenced to 25 Years for Human Trafficking

GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA – Mikel Alemin Craig, 33, of Gainesville, Florida, was sentenced today to 25 years in federal prison for sex trafficking of an adult by force and coercion.  The sentence was announced by Christopher P. Canova, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

During Craig’s guilty plea on August 19, 2015, the government presented evidence that, between January 1, 2014, and March 30, 2014, Craig was involved in a scheme to make money by using an adult female to perform sex acts.  The defendant caused a picture of the victim, posing in a motel room, to be posted on Backpage.com, an Internet advertising website.  The advertisement was listed in a section for “escort services,” when, in truth, the advertisement was for the purpose of offering the victim for commercial sexual activity.  As a result, the victim engaged in sexual activity for money on numerous occasions with persons who responded to the advertisement.  This sexual activity took place at various locations in the Northern District of Florida, including local hotels in Gainesville, Florida.  Craig used physical and nonphysical means to coerce the victim to engage in this sexual activity, including violence and the threat of physical violence against her.  He also collected proceeds from the victim’s commercial sexual activity.

The prosecution was brought as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Program.  The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Frank Williams.

The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General.  The office strives to protect and serve the citizens of the Northern District of Florida through the ethical, vigorous, and impartial enforcement of the laws of the United States, to defend the national security, to improve the safety and quality of life in our communities through the protection of civil rights, and to protect the public funds and financial assets of the United States.  To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website.  For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

For more information, contact:
Amy Alexander, Public Information Officer
(850) 216-3854, amy.alexander@usdoj.gov