Sex Trafficker of Minor Sentenced to 20 Years Prison

PORTLAND, OR—Jefferson Bryant Davis, 23 was sentenced to 240 months in federal prison yesterday by U.S. District Judge Ancer Haggerty, after pleading guilty on July 22, 2011 to one count in an indictment charging him with the sex trafficking of a minor. Davis was also sentenced to five years of supervised release and ordered to register as a sex offender for 25 years. A restitution hearing is scheduled for January 9, 2012.

The case arose in March of 2010, when a 13-year-old female, aka “Diamond,” turned herself in to authorities while walking the streets of Los Angeles, California as a prostitute. At the time, she was dehydrated, dirty, and feared she was losing her mind. Later, she would tell investigators how Davis used force to make her work as a prostitute in Oregon, Washington, California, and Nevada. The day after she ran away with Davis, he purchased a commercial sex advertisement of her in the “Exotic” magazine, a cell phone, high heel shoes, and condoms. He thereafter rented hotel rooms where she engaged in commercial sex acts with men, earning approximately $108,000 in a three month period.

Davis, a convicted drug dealer and admitted member of the Portland “82 Deuce MOBB” (Money Over Bitches), beat the child repeatedly over time by slapping and pulling her hair. He developed a series of rules she had to follow or suffer beatings. He also tormented her by forcing her into baths of ice and requiring her to stand nude in the corners of hotel rooms. She had to walk the streets as a prostitute in areas known as “Tracks”—all the while knowing that Davis was sitting in the car with a gun and watching “Johns” approach. Davis provided no protection whatsoever and the child was repeatedly raped by customers and contracted venereal diseases. Eventually, she suffered an ectopic pregnancy that required emergency surgery.

Davis also created the illusion of a romantic and sexual relationship that he used to manipulate the child emotionally. To accomplish this deception, he continually lied about being in love with her and engaged her in sexual intercourse without contraception. However, the government showed that he had no feelings whatsoever about the child except for her ability to earn him income. In the end, Davis threatened to kill the child and her family if she reported him to the authorities. At sentencing, Davis read a statement explaining that he was sorry for the damage he caused to the child.

This case was brought through the Oregon Human Trafficking Task Force (OHTTF). 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. 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 go online to NHTRC@PolarisProject.org.

This case was investigated by the FBI, Salem Police Department, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kemp L. Strickland.