Fridley Man Indicted For Transporting Others To Engage In Prostitution

MINNEAPOLIS—Earlier today in federal court, a 27-year-old Fridley man was indicted for transporting another to engage in prostitution, pursuant to federal law. Napoleon Long, Jr., was charged with one count of enticing another for interstate travel to engage in prostitution and one count of transportation with intent to engage in prostitution. Federal law prohibits the interstate transportation of individuals for the purpose of prostitution.

The indictment alleges that in October 2011, Long, also known as Nate, persuaded a woman to travel to Colorado for the purpose of engaging in prostitution.

If convicted, Long faces a potential maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. All sentences would be determined by a federal district court judge. This case is the result of an investigation by the Anoka County Sheriff’s Office and United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David P. Steinkamp.

In 2012, Yuri Fedotov, the head of the United Nations’ Office on Drugs and Crime reported to those attending a U.N. General Assembly meeting that an estimated 2.4 million people worldwide are victims of human trafficking at any one time, with 80 percent of them being exploited as sex slaves. He also said approximately $32 billion is earned collectively every year by the criminals who operate human trafficking networks. The U.S. Department of Justice reports that an estimated 14,500 to 17,500 people are trafficked within the U.S. alone each year.

For more information, visit http://www.ice.gov/human-trafficking/

An indictment is a determination by a grand jury that there is probable cause to believe that offenses have been committed by a defendant. A defendant, of course, is presumed innocent until he or she pleads guilty or is proven guilty at trial.