Dorchester Gang Member Sentenced to Over Twelve Years in Prison for Sex Trafficking Minors

Boston – A Dorchester man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Boston for sex trafficking minors. 

Miriam Kizzie, a/k/a “Keys” and “Keyshawn,” 21, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge William G. Young to 153 months in prison and five years of supervised release.  In February 2015, Kizzie pleaded guilty to two counts of sex trafficking of two minor women.

In July 2013, Kizzie met a 14-year-old and a 15-year-old girl, and, shortly thereafter, photographed the girls in suggestive poses.  Kizzie created online advertisements for commercial sex using their photographs and posted the ads on the Internet.   Over the course of the next week, both girls were repeatedly advertised online for prostitution and continued to see prostitution clients, primarily in Dorchester apartments, but also in the apartments of men who responded to the advertisements.

At today’s sentencing hearing, the mother of each victim addressed the court explaining the impact that the trafficking had on their teenage daughters and their families.  One of the victims, now 16-years-old, addressed the court herself and described not only the impact of Kizzie’s actions but also her ongoing struggles as a result of the crime.  She said, “He broke me.  He lied to me.  I’ve spent the past almost two years trying to put myself back together again.”     

In addition to the charges against Kizzie, the indictment charged Anthony Pledger, a/k/a “Polo,” and “Jaden,” 26, with sex trafficking two other minors in October 2013 in Massachusetts in Rhode Island.  Court documents allege that Pledger and Kizzie were members of the Thetford Avenue Buffalos, a local Boston street gang.  In February 2015, Pledger pleaded guilty to two counts of sex trafficking the two minors and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 28, 2015.

United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz; Bruce M. Foucart, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; and Boston Police Commissioner William Evans made the announcement today.  The case was also investigated by the Rhode Island State Police, Massachusetts State Police, and the Brookline, Providence, Brockton, and Dedham Police Departments.  Significant assistance was provided by the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office and the Plymouth, Middlesex and Suffolk County District Attorney’s Offices.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amy Harman Burkart and Timothy E. Moran of Ortiz’s Civil Rights Enforcement Team.

Members of the public who have questions, concerns, or information regarding this case should call (617) 748-3274, and messages will be promptly returned.