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Josua Lankford Pleads Guilty to Kidnapping in Sex Trafficking Scheme
Baltimore, Maryland – Joshua Lankford, a/k/a “20-20”, a/k/a “Light Bright”, a/k/a “Yellow”, age 33, of Manchester, Maryland, pleaded guilty yesterday to kidnapping in relation to a sex trafficking conspiracy.
According to his guilty plea, from Oct. 25, 2018, to Oct. 30, 2018, Lankford led and organized a conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, and to commit kidnapping.
The evidence indicated that Lankford recruited the victim, a young adult woman, to engage in prostitution under fraudulent pretenses. Lanford knew that the victim was addicted to heroin and withheld drugs from her when she did make enough money for him engaging in commercial sex. When the victim attempted to escape, Lankford and his three co-defendants drove the victim to a rural road on Maryland’s Eastern Shore where they beat, whipped, and choked her with a belt, and then drove her to a hotel in Delaware to engage in prostitution.
Lankford was arrested two days later and informed officers that he deleted the contents of his cell phone in anticipation of his apprehension. While incarcerated, Lankford told a co-conspirator that he intended to kill the victim to prevent her from testifying against them at trial.
Lankford and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Lankford will be sentenced to 17 years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake has scheduled sentencing for April 29, 2022, at 9:30 a.m.
Defendant: Joshua Lankford
Criminal Charges: Kidnapping in relation to a sex trafficking conspiracy
City and State: Baltimore, Maryland
Date: October 25, 2018, to October 30, 2018
Sentence: 17 years in federal prison
Report suspected instances of human trafficking and sex 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 to take calls and receive tips.
Key Facts
- State: Maryland
- Category: Human Trafficking|Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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