Defendant Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Sex Trafficking of a Child In Maryland

Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge George L. Russell III sentenced Rayvon O. Archibald, a/k/a “P Money,” “Keyvon M. Malone,” “Keyvon Smith,” and “Scoobie,” age 26, of Boston, Massachusetts, today to 14 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for sex trafficking of a child. Judge Russell also ordered that upon his release from prison, Archibald must register as a sex offender in the place where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).

The sentence announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Kevin Perkins of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Chief James W. Johnson of the Baltimore County Police Department; Colonel William M. Pallozzi, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; and Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger.

According to his guilty plea, for several years Archibald was involved in recruiting, harboring and transporting individuals to engage in commercial sex acts.  From April 2012 to March 2014, Archibald used the internet to buy and post advertisements for commercial sex in several states.

On March 5, 2014, Rayvon O. Archibald encountered a 13 year old girl in New York City.  He provided her with alcohol and drugs.  The next day, Archibald transported the girl by bus from New York to the Baltimore area, then by taxi to co-defendant Jonathan Went’s apartment in Gwynn Oak, Maryland. Archibald did not inform the girl before she left New York that she would be caused to engage in commercial sex. 

On March 6, Archibald and Went posted an ad on a commercial sex website soliciting customers for the girl, which listed the number for a phone used by Archibald and Went, and an email controlled by Archibald. They also instructed the girl on pricing for commercial sex acts and provided her with a document that included prices.

After the ad was posted, numerous customers responded to the ad and they were directed to come to Went’s apartment.  Archibald and Went caused the girl to meet clients in the living room. Multiple potential clients arrived at the apartment seeking sex for pay.  At least one customer engaged in a sex act with the girl.  The money paid by customers was given to Archibald and Went.

On the morning of March 7, 2014, the girl left Went’s apartment while Archibald and Went were asleep. According to court documents, the girl called 911 from Went’s phone. The police found the girl at a nearby intersection. The girl gave police the address of Went’s apartment and told police that there were two men and a woman inside the location. The girl reported that she was held against her will inside Went’s apartment building. The girl identified Archibald as her captor and stated that he had assaulted her.

According to court documents, police went to the apartment and arrested Went, Archibald and a woman. Both the girl and the woman who was arrested independently told police that one customer who came to the apartment demanded his money back because the girl was too young. The woman and the girl gave the money back to the customer, and when they told Archibald what happened, he slapped them both.

Archibald and Went remain detained.

Jonathan M. Went, a/k/a “Jon Maxx,” and “Max Out,” age 31, of Massachusetts and Gwynn Oak, Maryland, previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit sex trafficking of a child. He faces up to life in prison at his sentencing scheduled for July 5, 2016, at 9:30 a.m.

The case was investigated by the FBI-led Maryland Child Exploitation Task Force (MCETF), created in 2010 to combat child prostitution, with members from10 state and federal law enforcement agencies.  The Task Force coordinates with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Maryland State Police Child Recovery Unit to identify missing children being advertised online for prostitution. 

MCETF partners with the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force, formed in 2007 to discover and rescue victims of human trafficking while identifying and prosecuting offenders.  Members include federal, state and local law enforcement, as well as victim service providers and local community members.  For more information about the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force, please visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/md/priorities_human.html.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the FBI, Baltimore County Police Department, Maryland State Police and the Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zachary A. Myers and Sandra Wilkinson, who prosecuted the case.