Boston Man Convicted of Attempting to Purchase Sex With Minor

BOSTON – A Boston man was convicted by a federal jury in Boston today of attempting to pay for sex with a 14-year-old girl.

Dimitri Shawn McKenzie, 29, was convicted following a three-day jury trial of one count of attempted sex trafficking of a child. U.S. Senior District Court Judge William G. Young scheduled sentencing for Sept. 24, 2024. McKinzie was arrested and charged in November 2022. 

“Every single person who considers paying to have sex with a minor better take notice – if you are caught you are facing at least a mandatory 10-year sentence in a federal prison. The reason people sell sex with little children is because there is demand for opportunities to engage in such morally reprehensible conduct. The only way to make progress in truly protecting kids from such predatory behavior is to both prosecute the men who traffic young girls and the men whose demand fuels this pernicious market,” said Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy. 

“Dimitri McKenzie was fully prepared to pay to sexually abuse someone he believed was a child. Instead of a child, he found himself face to face with an undercover HSI special agent and after today’s verdict, he’s facing serious federal prison time,” said Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in New England. “It’s a horrible truth that there are predators ready and willing to pay to harm children. HSI is working every day with our partners to find these individuals and bring them to justice.”

In November 2022, McKenzie responded to an online post purportedly advertising two minor girls – ages 12 and 14 years old – available to perform sex acts in exchange for money in the Boston area. The post was a fictious advertisement by undercover law enforcement. In subsequent text communications with undercover law enforcement, McKenzie agreed to pay $100 to have sex with the fictious 14-year-old minor at a local hotel. Upon arriving at the hotel, McKenzie met with undercover law enforcement posing as the purported seller in the hotel parking lot, provided cash in exchange for 20 minutes with the fictitious minor and accepted a hotel key. McKenzie was immediately taken into custody. 

The charge of attempted sex trafficking of a minor provides for a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

If you or someone you know may be impacted or experiencing commercial sex trafficking, please contact USAMA.VictimAssistance@usdoj.gov.

Acting U.S. Attorney Levy and HSI SAC Krol made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Lexington, Waltham, Barnstable, Quincy and Cambridge Police Departments as well as the Massachusetts State Police and the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Torey B. Cummings of the Civil Rights & Human Trafficking Unit and Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Tobin of the Major Crimes Unit are prosecuting the case.