Florida Man Indicted for Federal Sex Trafficking Offenses

A federal grand jury in Fort Pierce, Florida, returned an indictment charging a Florida man with 10 counts of sex trafficking.

According to court documents, between 2011 and 2019, Shannima Yuantrell Session, aka Shalamar, 46, of Lake Placid, trafficked seven women and three girls. Session allegedly recruited his victims through violence and threats, among other things; including offers of drugs, employment and romantic relationships. Once Session had gained compliance from his victims, he then trafficked them for sex primarily in rural areas of Highlands County for his own profit.

If convicted, Session faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison, with a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, as well as a maximum of lifetime supervised release. Session is being held in custody pending trial. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI Miami Field Office and Sheriff Paul Blackman of Highlands County Sheriff’s Office made the announcement.

The FBI Miami Field Office investigated this case, with assistance from the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Hoover for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorneys Leah Branch and Elizabeth Hutson of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trarfficking Prosecution Unit are prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.