Rochester Man Sentenced On Sex Trafficking Charge

CONTACT:      Barbara Burns
PHONE:         (716) 843-5817
FAX:            (716) 551-3051

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - Acting U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Zaylik Harrison, 21, of Rochester, NY, who was convicted of sex trafficking of a minor, was sentenced to 135 months in prison and eight years supervised by U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle P. Rossi, who handled the case, stated that between September 30, 2016, and October 6, 2016, Harrison recruited a teenaged girl to engage in commercial sex acts at the Gates Motel, on Buffalo Road in Gates, NY. The defendant then posted advertisements for the minor on Backpage.com. Harrison rented rooms in the motel where the victim was forced to engage in prostitution activities over several days with adult males. The defendant kept the proceeds of those activities. 

The sentencing is the result of an investigation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge James C. Spero; the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Patrick O’Flynn; the Erie County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Timothy Howard; the Gates Police Department, under the direction of Chief James VanBrederode; the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office, under the direction of Sandra Doorley; and the Erie County District Attorney’s Office, under the direction of John Flynn.