Sacramento Pimp Sentenced To More Than 10 Years In Prison For Sex Trafficking Of A Minor

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Keon Jamar Nunnelly, 30, of Sacramento, was sentenced today by United States District Judge John A. Mendez to 10 years and five months in prison, to be followed by a 10-year period of supervised release where he is required to register as a sex offender, for sex trafficking of a minor, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.

According to court documents, from January 13, 2013, until June 17, 2013, Nunnelly caused a 16-year-old girl to engage in commercial sex acts in Sacramento and Anaheim. He provided directions on when and where she should work, transported her to customers, and provided security. Nunnelly and two co-defendants rented hotel rooms to be used for prostitution and placed ads with the victim’s picture on the Internet.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Sacramento Child Exploitation Task Force, the Anaheim Police Department, and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. The task force works to identify and recover minors involved in the commercial sex trade and to investigate and prosecute those who profit from that trade. Assistant United States Attorney Christiaan Highsmith prosecuted the case.

On August 12, 2014, Nunnelly pleaded guilty to sex trafficking of a minor by force fraud and coercion. Co-defendants Kia Moore, 30, and Sharon King, 31, pleaded guilty to concealing a felony and were sentenced earlier this year to time served.

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 the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about Internet safety education.