Jury Returns A Guilty Verdict Against Remaining Members Of Chambersburg Sex Trafficking Ring Dismantled By Federal Authorities

HARRISBURG- The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Anthony “Tony” D’Ambrosio, age 35, of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, and Armando Delgado, age 21, of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania were convicted on December 18, 2017, after a two-week jury trial in Harrisburg before Chief U.S. District Court Judge Christopher C. Conner on all charges.  Both D’Ambrosio and Delgado were convicted of sex trafficking of children, conspiracy to transport any individual to engage in prostitution, transportation of any individual to engage in prostitution, conspiracy to transport a minor to engage in prostitution, conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute oxycodone, cocaine and marijuana, and distribution and possession with the intent to distribute oxycodone.

According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, the jury returned with a verdict of guilty after approximately three hours of deliberation.  D’Ambrosio, Delgado and their co-conspirators recruited and transported girls and young women between the ages of 13 and 21 years old to engage in commercial sex acts in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Florida, Rhode Island and the District of Columbia and frequently paid them in drugs.

Following the entry of the verdict, Chief Judge Conner remanded D’Ambrosio to the custody of the U.S. Marshals, at the request of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.  Delgado has been incarcerated on the superseding indictment since March 12, 2015.

D’Ambrosio, Delgado and their co-defendants, who previously pleaded guilty, participated in a conspiracy that began in approximately July 2012, and continued to January 2015.  D’Ambrosio, Delgado and the others rented motel rooms and posted “escort” advertisements and photographs on backpage.com from July 2012 through January 2015.  D’Ambrosio and the others would take the majority of the money made during the course of the prostitution business, and distributed various drugs to the women, including oxycodone, cocaine and marijuana.  

Albert E. “Pipo” Martinez, age 35, of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to all charges on March 31, 2016.  On Tuesday, December 5, 2017, Keanu Martinez, age 21, of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, son of Albert Martinez, pleaded guilty to one count of transporting minors to engage in prostitution.  A sentencing date has not been set for either Martinez yet.  Brandon Hill, age 30, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, previously pleaded guilty to drug trafficking counts and received a 37-month sentence. 

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Meredith A. Taylor and Scott Ford prosecuted the case.

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 individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc for more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."

A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

The maximum penalty for the sex trafficking offenses is life imprisonment and includes a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years imprisonment.  The maximum penalty for the drug trafficking offenses is a term of imprisonment of 20 years.  Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant’s educational, vocational and medical needs.  For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicate of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.

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