Skip to main content
Press Release

Fort Lauderdale Jury Convicts Hollywood Man Of Kidnapping And Sex Trafficking By Force

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Florida


Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Alysa D. Erichs, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), Scott Israel, Sheriff, Broward Sheriff’s Office, and Frank Fernandez, Chief, Hollywood Police Department, announce the conviction of Shaun Eric McKinley, 35, on charges of kidnapping, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1201(a) and sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1591(a).

Sentencing for McKinley has been scheduled for November 25, 2014, before U.S. District Judge William P. Dimitrouleas. At sentencing, McKinley faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 15 years in prison for the sex trafficking charge and a possible maximum sentence of life in prison for both charges.

According to records filed in this case and statements made in court, McKinley met a 28 year old female outside his home in Hollywood in December of 2013. Within three days of meeting her, McKinley was acting as her pimp and physically assaulting her for what he saw as minor infractions, such as returning home late from a prostitution date. Thereafter, the victim was required to meet all customers at McKinley’s home where he could keep an eye on her. The victim averaged approximately 5-7 dates a day, seven days a week, with all the earnings going to McKinley. The victim first attempted to leave McKinley in February but he quickly found her. When he got her home, by dragging her for blocks by the hair, McKinley punished her by making her strip naked, covering her head with a pillow case, hog-tying her with extension cords and beating her with a board. The victim waited until April to get the courage to attempt another escape, this one successful. Unfortunately, on May 18, 2014, McKinley lured her out of hiding using a ruse to get her into a dark alley, where he physically assaulted her, threw her into a car and drove away with her. The kidnapping was captured on a surveillance video from a nearby business and was played for the jury. The victim was able to escape only when McKinley stopped at a convenience store for a cigar, and left his friend in charge of watching her. That friend, a government witness, testified that after McKinley was out of sight, he unlocked the car door so the victim could run. After flagging down a passing ambulance, the victim was taken to Memorial Regional Hospital where she was treated for her injuries, which included a fractured front tooth, a lip laceration and head contusions. Still undeterred, and fearing the victim would talk to police, McKinley showed up at the hospital looking for her, dressed in blood covered clothes. A concerned nurse and an alert Hollywood Police Officer working a detail kept McKinley from reaching the victim, and McKinley was placed under arrest.

Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of ICE-HSI, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office and the Hollywood Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Corey Steinberg and Paul Schwartz.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.

Updated March 12, 2015