Man Convicted of Transporting Females To Las Vegas for Prostitution
Las Vegas, Nev. - Daniel G. Bogden, United States Attorney for the District of Nevada, Byram Tichenor, Special Agent-in-Charge of Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation for Nevada and Utah, and Clark County Sheriff Bill Young of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, announce that on April 2, 2003, following a three-day trial before U.S. District Court Judge Kent J. Dawson, QUINTON WILLIAMS, age 41, a resident of Chicago, Illinois, was convicted by a jury of Transportation of a Female for Prostitution, Transportation of a Minor for Prostitution, Money Laundering, Sex Trafficking of Children, and Interstate Travel in Aid of Racketeering. This was the first federal prosecution in Nevada using the Sex Trafficking of Children statute.
According to the testimony at trial and court records, WILLIAMS resided in Chicago, Illinois, where he operated a prostitution business involving the transportation of women to various states for the purpose of engaging in prostitution or other illegal sexual activity. During 2001, WILLIAMS transported a 16-year-old juvenile and adult prostitute by automobile from Chicago to Portage, Indiana; Houston, Texas; Phoenix, Arizona; and Las Vegas, Nevada. In those cities, the defendant supervised the prostitution activities of the adult and minor female and received all of their earnings. The defendant had no legitimate source of income other than from the illegal prostitution activity. During the 1990's, and through 2001, the defendant filed only one federal individual income tax return with total reported earnings of less than $500.
WILLIAMS' sentencing is set for June 20, 2003. WILLIAMS is facing up to 20 years imprisonment on the Money Laundering and Sex Trafficking of Children charges; 15 years imprisonment on the Transportation of Minor for Prostitution charge; 10 years imprisonment on the Transportation of Female for Prostitution charge; and 5 years imprisonment on the Interstate Travel in Aid of Racketeering charge. Additionally, fines of up to $250,000 may be imposed on each count. The actual sentence, however, will be dictated by the United States Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of factors, and will be imposed at the discretion of the Court.
The case was investigated by Special Agents of Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and Detectives with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Howard J. Zlotnick and Justin J. Roberts.
