Texas Man Admits to Using Force, Fraud and Coercion in Sex Trafficking Case

PORTLAND, OR—U.S. District Judge Michael J. Mosman accepted James A.
Jackson’s plea today to count one of a federal indictment charging him with using force, fraud,
and coercion in a sex trafficking case involving a minor. Sentencing is scheduled for May 13,
2011. Jackson faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison with a maximum of life in
prison.

“Human slavery is alive and well—as cases like this make all too clear,” said U.S.
Attorney Dwight C. Holton. “We have got to put an end to this violent trade in young women
and girls.”

The federal case arose in the fall of 2008 after a15-year old minor was arrested for
prostitution on the streets of Portland. She provided information to law enforcement about her
recruitment into prostitution by Jackson, then 36. Later, Jackson persuaded the minor to travel
from Seattle, Washington to Portland, Oregon under the guise of a romantic relationship.
Immediately after arriving, the minor objected to working as a prostitute. Jackson grabbed her
by the throat and started choking and pressing her down while saying, “Put your hands down.”
Then, he punched her in the mouth and back of the head.

The initial act of choking the minor into submission was the first in a cycle of violence
that continued several times per week depending on Jackson’s mood. The minor described
occasions where Jackson was choking her, pulling her hair, pushing her, striking her with his
hands, a belt, and coffee pot. She suffered injuries including bruises and scars above her eyes,
on her legs, and finger when Jackson tried to bite it off.

On one occasion, Jackson beat her after she failed to obtain money from a purchaser.
After the beating, she awoke to find Jackson holding a firearm at her head and swearing on his
mother’s life that he would kill her. In an effort to save her life, the minor promised to make him
$20,000 working as a prostitute if he spared her.

This case was investigated by the Oregon Human Trafficking Task Force (OHTTF) and
the FBI. Assistant U. S. Attorney Kemp L. Strickland is handling the prosecution of the case.

The OHTTF was created in May of 2005. Led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the task
force provides a comprehensive collaborative approach to combat human trafficking through
partnerships between federal, state, local law enforcement, social service providers, and other
government and non-government agencies. For more information about OHTTF visit
www.oregonoath.org. To provide a local tip on a human trafficking please call Multnomah
County Sheriff Deputy Sgt. Keith Bickford at (503) 251-2479. You can also report human
trafficking tips to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at 1-888-373-7888 or
NHTRC@PolarisProject.org.