Couple Pleads Guilty to Child Sex Trafficking

TULSA, Okla.—A Florida woman and North Carolina man pleaded guilty to sex trafficking a 14 year old girl, announced United States Attorney Danny C. Williams Sr. for the Northern District of Oklahoma.

Jasmine Lynch, 24, of Jacksonville, Florida, and Ryan Patrick Wise, 35, of Greensboro, North Carolina, were charged by a second superseding indictment in May 2016. Lynch pleaded guilty today and Wise pleaded guilty on June 7, 2016. United States District Court Judge John E. Dowdell presided over the case.

According to court documents, Lynch and Wise admitted that in November 2015, they recruited, enticed, provided, and advertised a 14 year old girl from Tulsa to engage in commercial sex acts with adult men. Lynch and Wise rented hotel and motel rooms in Tulsa to provide the underage girl for prostitution purposes. Lynch and Wise advertised the 14 year old girl for sex on Backpage.com.

At the time of sentencing, the defendants each face not less than 10 years and up to life in prison. Lynch and Wise are set to be sentenced in September.

The case was investigated by the Tulsa Police Department; and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Trent Shores.

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, 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 www.justice.gov/psc.

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