Hardin woman arraigned on charges for sex trafficking a minor

BILLINGS - A Hardin woman accused of sex trafficking a minor appeared today for arraignment, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

The defendant, Veronica Clarice Baker, 29, pleaded not guilty to an indictment charging her with one count of sex trafficking of a minor. If convicted of the crime charged in the indictment, Baker faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years, a maximum term of life, a $250,000 fine, and five years to lifetime supervised release.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy Cavan presided. Baker was detained pending further proceedings.

The indictment alleges that in or before August 2022, in Billings, the defendant knowingly recruited, enticed, harbored, transported, provided, obtained, advertised, maintained, patronized, and solicited, by any means an individual, Jane Doe 1, knowing and in reckless disregard that Jane Doe 1 was under the age of 18, to engage in a commercial sex act.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Zeno Baucus is prosecuting the case. The FBI conducted the investigation.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.

The charging document is merely an accusation and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

PACER case reference. 25-43.

The progress of cases may be monitored through the U.S. District Court Calendar and the PACER system. To establish a PACER account, which provides electronic access to review documents filed in a case, please visit http://www.pacer.gov/register.html. To access the District Court’s calendar, please visit https://ecf.mtd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/PublicCalendar.pl.