Columbia Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Child Sex Trafficking

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Columbia, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for child sex trafficking.

Kenyata D. Miles, 35, of Columbia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 15 years and eight months in federal prison without parole.

Miles, who owned and operated Precision Commercial and Residential Cleaning, pleaded guilty on May 16, 2016. Miles admitted that he booked two rooms for two nights at the Quail’s Nest Motel in Osage Beach, Mo., in April 2013. Law enforcement officers found a 16-year-old female who had been reported as missing in one of the rooms; Miles and two women were in an adjacent room.

Advertisements had been posted on Backpage.com advertising the availability of the child victim and one of the women for sexual services. Miles arranged hotel reservations and provided transportation to hotels for their prostitution activities.

According to court documents, the minor victim also had traveled with Miles and a woman identified as “K.M.” to St. Louis, where they engaged in prostitution. When they returned to Columbia, the minor victim again engaged in prostitution. Miles became increasingly violent, according to K.M., and assaulted her and threatened her with a gun. Miles initially split the prostitution proceeds with her and the minor victim, K.M. told investigators, but had recently only been giving them money for necessities.

According to court documents, Miles has an extensive criminal history, including a history of violent criminal behavior and drug abuse. He has been incarcerated or under court supervision for much of his adult life.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Lynn. It was investigated by the FBI, the Boone County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department and the Osage Beach, Mo., Police Department in conjunction with the Human Trafficking Rescue Project.