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Portier Q. Govan, Sex Trafficking, Kentucky 2022
A federal grand jury in Louisville, Kentucky, has indicted Portier Q. Govan, 36, of Memphis, Tennessee, for sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, and for conspiring with a Kentucky woman to commit that crime.
According to the indictment, between August 8 and 11, 2022, Govan used force, threats of force, and coercion to compel an adult woman to engage in commercial sex. The indictment also charges Govan and Brittany R. Howard, 24, of Bowling Green, Kentucky, with entering into an agreement to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion.
Govan made his initial court appearance before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the Western District of Kentucky on March 20, 2023. Howard is expected to make her initial appearance later this week.
If convicted of sex trafficking, Govan faces a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison, up to life imprisonment. If convicted of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, Govan and Howard face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Bowling Green Police Department and the FBI Louisville Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda E. Gregory for the Western District of Kentucky and Trial Attorney Francisco Zornosa of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit are prosecuting the case.
The FBI is asking anyone with information about Portier Govan or Brittany Howard to contact the FBI Bowling Green Resident Agency at (270) 781-4734. If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking, please call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1 (888) 373-7888.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Key Facts
- State: Kentucky
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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