Local News

Boston man pleads guilty to trafficking minor in three states

“Human trafficking is not just a crime; it is a profound violation of human dignity.”

January 24, 2024

1 minute to read

A Boston man pleaded guilty Wednesday to transporting a Massachusetts minor to New York and Connecticut to engage in commercial sex.

Leon Blount III, 31, pleaded guilty to three counts of transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, according to the office of acting U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Joshua Levy. Blount was indicted in January 2023 and has been in custody since 2022.

“Blount admitted today that he sought out and took advantage of a vulnerable young woman and limited her freedom,” Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations in New England, said a statement. “This is a pattern we see again and again with human traffickers. Today’s plea brings us another step closer to justice for those he victimized.”

Authorities allege that between July and August 2022, Blount transported a 17-year-old girl from Massachusetts to New York and Connecticut to engage in commercial sex for his financial benefit.

According to Levy’s office, he met the 17-year-old while she was living at a group home in Massachusetts for transitional age adolescents, giving her alcohol and marijuana and recruiting her to engage in commercial sex out-of-state. He allegedly used text messages to ensure she continued to perform sex acts when he was not physically present and posted her photo on websites advertising commercial sex. He also allegedly put the girl in hotel rooms in Woburn, Mass. and Hartford, Conn. where he instructed her to perform sex acts from buyers to earn more money.

“Human trafficking is not just a crime; it is a profound violation of human dignity,” Levy said in a statement. “The unimaginable harm inflicted upon victims is happening too frequently in our communities.”

The charge of transporting a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and allows for up to life in prison, Levy’s office said. Blount will return to court for sentencing in April.