Career Offender Sentenced to 14 Years in Sex Trafficking Case

PORTLAND, OR—Dwayne Jamal Hubbard, 24, of Portland, Oregon, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Anna J. Brown to 168 months in prison, to be followed by a five-year term of supervised release. The federal charges were filed in May 2012 after an investigation led by the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force working in conjunction with the Tigard Police Department. On December 10, 2012, Hubbard pled guilty to sex trafficking of a minor, which carries a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life imprisonment.

Today at his sentencing, the court found Hubbard qualified as a career offender based on his prior felony convictions, and this status subjected him to enhanced penalties. According to prosecutors, Hubbard met a 17-year-old female online, arranged a meeting, and immediately started encouraging her to engage in commercial sex acts by posting sexual advertisements on Backpage.com. Within days of meeting, the defendant took sexually suggestive photographs of her, created online advertisements, and began sending her out to engage in sex acts with strangers in exchange for money. Hubbard continuously pestered her through text messages asking her if she could make him some money.

“This defendant believed being a pimp and selling young women for sex was a low-cost way to earn significant financial benefit,” said U.S. Attorney Amanda Marshall. “My office is committed to changing the cost side of the analysis—if you get caught sex trafficking in this district, we will work with our law enforcement partners to arrest you and seek the kind of stiff penalties that Congress envisioned for this crime.”

In crafting an appropriate sentence, Judge Brown noted the horrific nature of the offense and addressed the negative impact it has in our community. Because Hubbard agreed to accept responsibility for his crime and resolve his case early, the government recommended some downward variance to his guideline range to reach a 14-year sentence. The court agreed that by resolving early, the defendant prevented further harm to the victim that can only be compounded by protracted litigation.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Leah K. Bolstad.