Two San Jose Men Sentenced To Prison For Posting Information About A Minor Online To Solicit Sex Customers

SAN JOSE- Two San Jose residents were sentenced to approximately five years in prison yesterday for posting information about a minor under the age of 16 on the Internet in order to solicit prostitution customers, announced Acting United States Attorney Brian Stretch and FBI Special Agent in Charge David Johnson.  Justin Everett Crutchfield was sentenced to 57 months’ imprisonment and Demontae Terrell Toliver was sentenced to 60 months’ imprisonment for their respective roles in posting information about the minor online for the purpose of making her available for prostitution.  A sentence of 60 months’ imprisonment is the maximum sentence allowed by the statute of conviction.

Crutchfield, 28, and Toliver, 24, both of San Jose, pleaded guilty on July 20, 2015, to a superseding information charging them with use of the internet to post information about a minor for sexual activity.  According to the defendants’ plea agreements, Crutchfield and Toliver admitted that on June 18, 2013, they posted a telephone number and sexually suggestive photographs of the minor on the now-shuttered Internet site myRedbook.com.  The posting was made with the intent to solicit others to pay to engage in sexual activity with the minor. At the time of his arrest, Crutchfield was employed as a Peer Health Counselor with the Santa Clara County Department of Mental Health. 

Crutchfield and Toliver were indicted by a federal grand jury on January 29, 2014.  They were charged with two counts of sex trafficking of a minor, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §1591, and two counts of production of child pornography, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2251(a).  Pursuant to the plea agreement, both Crutchfield and Toliver pleaded guilty to a superseding information charging a single count of use of an interstate wire to transmit information about a minor for criminal sexual activity, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2425. 

The sentence was handed down by the Honorable Ronald M. Whyte, U.S. District Judge.  Judge Whyte also sentenced each defendant to a 7-year period of supervised release and ordered each to pay $2000 in restitution to their minor victims.  Both men also will be required to register as sex offenders under federal and state law.  Toliver, who has been in custody since his arrest in February 2014, will begin serving the sentence immediately.  Crutchfield, who had been released to home confinement on $150,000 bond, was ordered to self-surrender on or before March 17, 2016.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Amie Rooney prosecuted the case with the assistance of Laurie Worthen.  The prosecution is the result of a joint investigation by the San Jose Police Department Human Trafficking Task Force and the FBI. The arrest and prosecution of these individuals was part of the FBI and San Jose Police Department’s increased efforts and cooperation in rooting out instances of human trafficking in Santa Clara County and the greater Bay Area.

Anyone who suspects instances of human trafficking are encouraged to call the FBI or the Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888. Anonymous calls are welcome.

In addition, suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-843-5678.