Man Sentened to 15 Years in Prison for Transporting 16-Year-Old Girl from California to Reno for Prostitution

RENO, NV—A man who transported a 16-year-old girl from Sacramento, California to Reno, Nevada, in July 2010 for the purposes of prostitution has been sentenced to 15 years in prison and lifetime supervised release, announced Daniel G. Bogden, United States Attorney for the District of Nevada.

Adam Scott, 27, of Fort McDermitt, Nevada, was sentenced on Monday, October 21, 2013, by U.S. District Judge Larry R. Hicks. Scott pleaded guilty on July 25, 2013, to one count of sex trafficking of a minor.

“Using undue influence and force to coerce a minor to engage in sex is despicable,” said U.S. Attorney Bogden. “Our law enforcement partners will continue to aggressively search out these sexual predators, and our office will continue to aggressively prosecute these child exploitation cases to protect our community and our children.”

According to the court records, on July 31, 2010, Scott transported a 16-year-old girl from Sacramento to Reno for the purpose of using her for prostitution. Scott knew that the girl was not 18 years old. Scott refused to return the girl to Sacramento and maintained her in Reno until about August 11, 2010. Scott used undue influence and force, including physical assault, in order to cause the girl to engage in commercial sex acts.

The investigation was conducted by the Innocence Lost Task Force made up of the FBI and the Reno Police Department’s Street Enforcement Team. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Carla Higginbotham.

The case has been 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."