06/03/2011

News / Federal Grand Jury Indicts Two Lubbock Residents in Child Sex Trafficking Conspiracy

Defendants Caused Minor Female to Engage in Prostitution

LUBBOCK, TX—A federal grand jury in Lubbock, Texas has indicted two individuals on conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a child and related felony offenses, announced U.S. Attorney James T. Jacks of the Northern District of Texas. Chanze Lamount Pringler, 24, and Megan Lee Norman, 19, both of Lubbock, have each been charged with one count of conspiracy; one count of sex trafficking of a child; and one count of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of a child. Pringler and Norman have been in custody since their arrest on March 30 by officers of the Lubbock Police Department on related charges. They will make their initial appearances in federal court in Lubbock on a date yet to be set by the court.

According to the indictment, during March 2011, Pringler and Norman conspired with each other to recruit, entice, harbor, transport, provide, obtain, and maintain by any means, a minor female, “Jane Doe,” under the age of 18, to engage in commercial sex acts from which Pringler and Norman profited. Pringler would provide food, shelter, and marijuana to Norman and “Jane Doe,” using the proceeds from their prostitution activities to pay for those items. The defendants advertised “Jane Doe’s” and Norman’s prostitution services on the Internet, and Pringler drove them to various hotels and locations to engage in the sex acts. Pringler and Norman collected the money “Jane Doe” earned for her prostitution activities.

An indictment is an accusation by a federal grand jury, and a defendant is entitled to the presumption of innocence unless proven guilty. However, if convicted, the conspiracy count carries a maximum statutory sentence of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and a three-year term of supervised release. Upon conviction, the conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of a child offense carries a maximum statutory sentence of life in prison, a $250,000 fine, and a term or supervised release of up to five years. The substantive sex trafficking of a child offense carries a maximum statutory sentence of not less than 10 years, and up to life in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to life.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The case is being investigated by the FBI and the Lubbock Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Sucsy, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Lubbock, is in charge of the prosecution.

http://www.fbi.gov/dallas/press-releases/2011/federal-grand-jury-indicts-two-lubbock-residents-in-child-sex-trafficking-conspiracy

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