Baltimore Man Sentenced to More Than Four Years in Federal Prison for Conspiring to Commit Sex Trafficking of a Minor

 Admitted that He Transported Two Girls, Who Were 15 and 17 Years Old, to Engage in Commercial Sex Acts

Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel sentenced Gerald Marshall, age 31, of Baltimore, Maryland, yesterday to 54 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of a minor.  Marshall admitted that he conspired to traffic two minor girls, ages 15 and 17, to engage in commercial sex acts.  Judge Hazel ordered Marshall to pay $2,405 in restitution to each of the minor victims.  Judge Hazel also ordered that, upon his release from prison, Marshall will be required to register as a sex offender in the places where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Jonathan F. Lenzner; Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; and Chief Russell E. Hamill, III of the Laurel Police Department.

According to Marshall’s plea agreement, beginning in or about January 2018, Marshall conspired with co-defendant Sean Dean to recruit, harbor, transport, and/or maintain three females, including two minors, to engage in commercial sex acts.  In furtherance of the sex trafficking enterprise, Marshall rented hotel rooms in Timonium and Laurel, Maryland to be used by the victims to engage in commercial sex acts.  Marshall and Dean transported the victims to the various hotels where they would stay for multiple days. While in the hotel rooms, at Dean’s direction the victims used a website to advertise themselves for commercial sex acts.  The advertisements contained pictures of the victims in provocative poses and provided contact information for clients to use to secure a “date” with the victims.  The victims were required to share a portion of the proceeds from any commercial sex acts with Dean. 

As detailed in his plea agreement, during the first week of January 2018, Marshall and Dean transported the minor girls and the woman to a hotel in Timonium.  The victims were at the hotel for approximately one week and met with multiple customers per day to engage in commercial sex acts.  The victims shared a portion of the proceeds earned from their commercial sex acts with Dean. 

During the second week of January, Marshall and Dean transported the victims to a hotel in Laurel, where they stayed for one or two days, engaging in commercial sex.  On about January 11, 2018, Marshall and Dean transported the three females to a second hotel in Laurel.  Marshall went to the front desk and obtained keys to the rooms intended for the two minor girls and the woman to use for commercial sex.  Law enforcement subsequently responded to that hotel, after receiving a complaint about the smell of marijuana coming from the two rooms Marshall rented.  The two minor females and the woman were located in the two rooms along with condoms and other items use in connection with their commercial sex acts.

Sean Dean, age 28, of Baltimore, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of a minor.  Dean and the government have agreed that if the Court accepts the plea agreement Dean will be sentenced to 10 years in federal prison. 

This case was investigated by law enforcement agencies that are members of the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force, formed in 2007 to discover and rescue victims of human trafficking while identifying and prosecuting offenders.  Members include federal, state and local law enforcement, as well as victim service providers and local community members.  For more information about the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force, please visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/md/priorities_human.html.

Report suspected instances of human trafficking to HSI’s tip line at 866-DHS-2ICE (1-866-347-2423) or by completing its online tip form.  Both are staffed around the clock by investigators.

Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner commended HSI Baltimore and the Laurel Police Department for their work in the investigation and thanked the Baltimore County Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for their assistance.  Mr. Lenzner thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph R. Baldwin and Elizabeth Wright, who are prosecuting the case.