Little Rock Man Sentenced to 7 ½ Years in Prison for Sex Trafficking and Related Charges

LITTLE ROCK—United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, Jane W. Duke, and Thomas J. Browne, Special Agent in Charge of the Little Rock Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced today that Everett Cooney was sentenced by United States Chief Judge J. Leon Holmes to 90 months' imprisonment followed by five years of supervised release on a federal charge of sex trafficking an underage female.

At his plea hearing on July 10, 2009, Cooney admitted he knew an underage female with the initials of “DB” was between the ages of 14 and 18 when she was caused to engage in commercial sex acts and that Cooney benefitted from her engaging in the commercial sex acts. Pursuant to the plea agreement, the pending indictment was dismissed.

Cooney’s co-defendant, Tommy Handy, plead guilty to a charge of sex trafficking on October 23, 2009. Pursuant to the plea agreement, the pending indictment was dismissed. Handy’s plea exposes him to a minimum of 10 years' and up to life imprisonment. He is awaiting sentencing by the court. Handy remains in custody pending his sentencing.

The case is the result of a joint investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the Little Rock Police Department. The case was prosecuted by former Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Volpe, Assistant U.S. Attorney John Ray White and Department of Justice Civil Rights Division Trial Attorney Jim Felte.