Sex Trafficking in Florida

Bradenton woman pleads guilty to sex trafficking of underage girls By HERALD STAFF REPORT on May 10, 2012 HERALD STAFF REPORT Bradenton_Herald A Bradenton woman has pleaded guilty to the sex trafficking of minors, recruiting four underage girls to work as prostitutes and promoting the business by taking sexually explicit photos of the girls and posting them on the Internet. Neang Prom, aka "Pocahontas," faces up to life in prison when she sentenced, according to the U.S. attorney's office in Tampa. According to a plea deal reached Wednesday, Prom and her boyfriend, Eric Bell, recruited the girls, who were ages 15 to 17, by offering them a place to live. "One the minors were living with Prom and Bell, they took sexually explicit photos of the minor victims and placed these photos on the Internet, to solicit clients for prostitution services," a news release from the U.S. attorney's office states. The girls were required to hand over the money earned to Prom and Bell, according to prosecutors. Bell pleaded guilty earlier and will be sentenced June 20. This case was investigated by the Clearwater Area Human Trafficking Task Force, the FBI, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to target child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.usdoj.gov/psc