Reading Men Charged with Sex Trafficking of Minors
Case is First of Its Kind in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
| U.S. Attorney’s Office November 09, 2010 |
An indictment was unsealed today charging Paul Sewell with four counts of sex trafficking of minors and of adults by force, and three counts of production of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Zane David Memeger, Berks County District Attorney John T. Adams, and FBI Special Agent-in-Charge George C. Venizelos. Co-defendant Michael Johnson also was charged with one count of sex trafficking. The indictment was filed under seal on November 4, 2010. Sewell was arrested November 4, 2010; Johnson was arrested today.
According to the indictment, Sewell ran a large prostitution ring in the Reading area through which he hired females, including minors, to work for him. Sewell, who called himself “God,” insisted that the girls who worked for him be tattooed with “God” and a nickname he gave them as a “working name.” He also photographed the girls so that he could feature them on a website called “cashmoneybrothersescorts.com,” on which he advertised them as escorts. Sewell took sexually explicit pictures of the girls to e-mail to potential clients. Sewell also subjected some females to physical violence to force them to continue working for the venture. Johnson often drove the girls who worked for the business to jobs, and lived in Sewell’s residence.
“Child exploitation cases are among the most serious crimes we prosecute,” said Memeger. “According to the indictment, this defendant abused his victims through the prostitution ring and further degraded them by branding them with a tattoo. The Berks County District Attorney’s detectives and the FBI have successfully shut down the defendant’s criminal enterprise.”
“Paul Sewell's prostitution of minors exemplifies the seriousness of the prostitution ring that was uncovered by my office,” said Adams. “Using minors in the sex trade should never take place and only the most severe sanctions available are appropriate.”
INFORMATION REGARDING THE DEFENDANTS
| NAME | ADDRESS | AGE OR YEAR OF BIRTH |
| Paul Sewell | Reading, PA | 45 |
| Michael Johnson | Reading, PA | 40 |
If convicted, Sewell faces a maximum possible sentence of life imprisonment and a $1.75 million fine; Johnson faces a maximum possible sentence of life imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Berks County detectives with the assistance of the Berks County District Attorney’s Office, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Morgan-Kelly.