Demecia Washington Gets 18 Years for Child Sex Trafficking

A Texas woman has been sentenced to 18 years in federal prison for orchestrating a multi-state child sex trafficking ring that preyed on a minor across three states in a brutal scheme lasting over a month. Demecia Shontres Washington, 42, of Dallas, Texas, was also handed a lifetime of supervised release following her conviction on seven counts, including sex trafficking, conspiracy to sexually exploit children, and distribution of child pornography.

After a six-day jury trial in May 2021, Washington was found guilty on all charges. U.S. District Judge Andrew P. Gordon presided over the proceedings in Las Vegas, where prosecutors laid bare a calculated operation to exploit and profit from a child victim. The evidence showed Washington and co-conspirator Jimmy David Washington Jr., 36, of Lubbock, Texas, recruited, coerced, and transported the minor from Texas to New Mexico and Nevada to perform commercial sex acts and produce child pornography.

Authorities say the trafficking spree ran from August 2018 to September 2018, a short but devastating window during which the child was moved across state lines and subjected to repeated abuse. Demecia Washington’s role included arranging travel, communicating with buyers, and actively participating in the production of illegal material. The FBI and Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department launched a joint investigation that led to her arrest and eventual conviction.

Jimmy Washington Jr. previously pleaded guilty to transportation of a minor for prostitution. In April 2021, he was sentenced to 10 years and 10 months in prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release. Federal prosecutors emphasized the coordinated nature of the crime, calling it a “textbook case of child exploitation” driven by greed and predation.

“This conviction and sentence demonstrates our office’s and our law enforcement partners’ unwavering commitment to combating sex trafficking and child exploitation,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Christopher Chiou for the District of Nevada. “Through our ongoing collaboration and expanded partnerships, we will keep working to hold accountable in federal court those who use fraud, force, or other illicit means to victimize children.”

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Burton, Bianca Pucci, and Elham Roohani led the prosecution. The case was brought under Project Safe Childhood, a DOJ initiative launched in 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation. For more information, visit www.justice.gov/psc.