Michael Deon Fulcher, Sex Trafficking, Mississippi 2020

A federal jury in the Southern District of Mississippi has convicted 54-year-old Michael Deon Fulcher of sex trafficking, conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, and interstate transportation for purposes of prostitution. The co-defendant, Jonzie Hamilton, 35, previously pleaded guilty to interstate transportation for purposes of prostitution.

According to the evidence presented at trial, Fulcher used sexual assault, threats of violence, isolation, control, psychological manipulation, and emotional abuse to compel the victim to engage in commercial sex between April and June 2020. The victim was brought to Fulcher’s home in Las Vegas, where she was sexually assaulted, and then taken to California, where she was forced to engage in commercial sex acts over several weeks.

Fulcher required the victim to follow his strict rules, threatened her with physical harm, confiscated her money and Social Security debit card, and even had an unlicensed dentist pull out her teeth. He also sent the victim and Hamilton across the country for the purpose of engaging in commercial sex, stopping in Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, and eventually Mississippi, where the victim ran away.

Fulcher faces a maximum penalty of life in prison and mandatory restitution for the sex trafficking charge. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing for Fulcher is scheduled for April 30.

The FBI Gulfport Field Office investigated the case, and Trial Attorneys Kate Alexander and Francisco Zornosa of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit prosecuted the case, with the assistance of Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Jones for the Southern District of Mississippi.

Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. Information on the Justice Department’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.

The victim’s bravery in facing her trafficker is an inspiration to us all, and we thank her for her courage. We will continue to work tirelessly to bring an end to this horrible crime and to hold those responsible accountable.

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