Cristian Garcia, Sex Trafficking, Rhode Island 2016

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - In a shocking case of exploitation, Cristian Garcia, a 21-year-old from Providence, has been sentenced to 24 months in federal prison for sex trafficking two young teenagers.

According to court records and information presented to the court, beginning in December 2014, Garcia and his co-defendant, Mackenzy Scott, conspired to take provocative photographs of a 14-year-old girl and a 16-year-old girl, and post the photographs in advertisements on Backpage.com, offering the young teenagers for sex.

Garcia and Scott either drove or arranged for the teenagers to be driven to various locations in Rhode Island and Massachusetts to engage in sex acts in exchange for cash. Numerous individuals responded to the ads.

Mackenzy Scott, who pleaded guilty on September 20, 2016, to conspiracy to sex trafficking children, is scheduled to be sentenced on December 14, 2016.

The investigation into the case was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations, and the Warwick and Seekonk Police Departments. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Rhode Island is prosecuting the case.

At sentencing, U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., also ordered Garcia to serve 5 years supervised release upon completion of his prison term.

Garcia pleaded guilty on May 13, 2016, to one count of conspiracy to sex trafficking children and one count of sex trafficking children.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ri/pr/sex-trafficker-sentenced