East Ridge man sentenced for sex trafficking in North Georgia
DALTON, Ga. (WDEF) — An East Ridge man is one of five that a judge recently sentenced to prison for sex trafficking. These five were part of a sex trafficking scheme throughout North Georgia, which the FBI and Dalton Police Department investigated.
Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy C. Batten, Sr. sentenced those involved in these crimes, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on October 31, 2023.
He sentenced 34-year-old Jaime Adam Riano of East Ridge to seven years in prison. Riano must then serve 10 years of supervised release. In 2017, he pleaded guilty to two counts of sex trafficking children under 18 years old.
According to the DOJ, Riano was the driver who transported teenage girls to different hotels to participate in sex acts.
The other four men involved were Nilageo Alvarez-Acosta, Hernandez Acosta, Brandi Rice Stumpe and Anthony Joseph Lawhon. The Acostas are from Cuba, Stumpe is from Powder Springs and Lawhon is from Atlanta, according to the DOJ.
The five men trafficked at least six girls, between the ages of 16 and 17, to engage in prostitution, the DOJ explained. They used force, fraud and coercion to force the girls into prostitution. This happened from November 2015 until December 2016.
Authorities say the men forced girls to engage in sex with multiple men each night.
They posted advertisements of the girls on a website called Backpage.com, which the DOJ seized control of. Hernandez Acosta posted these advertisements to solicit men to have sex with the girls. He also falsely listed the girls’ ages as at least 19 years old, according to the DOJ.
The DOJ also stated that Hernandez Acosta provided commercial sex and cocaine to Lawhon and Stumpe between July and December of 2016. Lawhon and Stumpe hosted many sex parties at their home in Canton, Georgia, the DOJ said.
These two men “engaged in sex acts with minor girls and young women, while plying them with alcohol and cocaine. Investigators recovered images of some of this conduct on Hernandez Acosta’s cellphone,” the DOJ’s press release stated.
The judge sentenced Alvarez-Acosta to 23 years in prison and 20 years of supervised release. He pleaded guilty to sex trafficking of a minor, transporting a minor for prostitution and two counts of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor in 2019.
He sentenced Hernandez Acosta to 30 years in prison and 20 years of supervised release. In 2019, he pleaded guilty to conducting a child exploitation enterprise, sex trafficking minors by force, fraud or coercion, sex trafficking children under 18 years old, transporting a minor in interstate commerce for prostitution, producing child pornography, and distributing cocaine to a person under 21.
The judge also sentenced Stumpe to five years in prison and five years of supervised release. Stumpe pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor in 2020.
Lastly, Judge Batten sentenced Lawhon to 10 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor in 2022.
“The investigators and U.S. Attorney’s office did a great job prosecuting this case. I am pleased that the Dalton Police Department was able to play a role in getting these individuals off the streets,” said Dalton Police Chief Cliff Cason.
(U.S. Department of Justice)
The DOJ said this case is part of Project Safe Childhood, which began in 2006 to protect children from online exploitation and abuse.
“Sex trafficking exploits and traumatizes some of the most vulnerable members of our society,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “Sex trafficking victims from immigrant communities can be especially fearful of reporting these crimes. So, our office is grateful for the diligence of our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners who remained steadfast in achieving the trust of the victims in this case and helping to secure justice for these young girls and their families.”
