Boston man charged after allegedly sex trafficking a 17-year-old girl he met on social media

A Boston man was charged Thursday for allegedly sex trafficking a 17-year-old girl he met on social media.

Jimall Dawn Brown, 33, was charged by criminal complaint with one count of sex trafficking of a minor. He was arrested Thursday morning and arraigned in a federal court in Boston later that day.

The Massachusetts U.S. Attorney’s Office said Thursday in a news release that Brown met the 17-year-old girl, who was living outside Massachusetts at the time, on social media. He then allegedly coerced her to fly to Boston and “be with him” by promising her “a better life.”

But once she flew to Boston, Brown allegedly kept her from leaving by threatening her or beating her. At times, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said, he yelled, slapped, beat, choked, and physically restrained her.

Brown then allegedly posted ads with pictures of the victim online and arranged “dates” for her where she was to have sex in exchange for money. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said he set the pricing for the commercial sex acts she engaged in and collected all of the profit.

In March and April of this year, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said, Brown allegedly coerced the girl to fly to both Georgia and Nevada to have sex in exchange for money and then collected all the profit.

“We must begin to face the harsh reality that human trafficking is happening every single day in our Commonwealth and across our country,” U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins said in the release.

“With my newly established Civil Rights & Human Trafficking Unit, the United States Attorney’s Office remains steadfast in our fight to combat this growing threat.”

The charge of sex trafficking of a minor carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison, five years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000.

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