PHILADELPHIA—Adrian Palmer, 49, of Philadelphia, PA, was sentenced today to 80 months in prison for conspiring in the sex trafficking of girls under the age of 18. Palmer pleaded guilty on October 18, 2013 to one count of conspiracy, one count of sex trafficking of minors, and one count of attempted sex trafficking of a minor. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge C. Darnell Jones, II, ordered Palmer to pay restitution of $1,400, a $300 special assessment, and to complete five years of supervised release. Palmer will also be required to register as a sex offender upon his release.

Between June 1, 2012 and June 14, 2012, Palmer, who worked as a security guard at a Days Inn motel on Roosevelt Boulevard in Philadelphia, provided protection and assistance to sex traffickers operating at the motel in exchange for a daily fee. Craig Johnson, the operator of the sex trafficking venture, recruited female juveniles to work as prostitutes. Johnson paid Palmer between $60 and $100 a day in exchange for advice about Johnson’s sex trafficking organization, including Johnson’s Backpage.com advertisements. Palmer also provided protection for Johnson so that law enforcement authorities would not be alerted to the sex trafficking operation. In August 2013, Palmer accepted $100 from a confidential witness in exchange for protecting him from law enforcement so he could engage in the sex trafficking of a (fictitious) 16-year-old minor.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the First Judicial Court Warrant Unit. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michelle L. Morgan.