Raleigh McClam and Savion Sharpe charged with conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor in Maryland.
Greenbelt, Maryland – In a disturbing case of human exploitation, two men from District Heights, Maryland have been charged with conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor. Raleigh McClam, 36, and Savion Sharpe, 22, were arrested and charged after a thorough investigation by the FBI-led Maryland Child Exploitation Task Force.
According to the affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, on December 29, 2015, officers with the Montgomery County Police Department received a 911 call from a female stating that she was a prostitute and was in fear of a man who was outside her Rockville motel room. The caller described the man and stated she was staying in room 257. When officers arrived at the motel, they saw McClam and Sharpe sitting in a vehicle in the motel parking lot. Sharpe matched the description supplied by the 911 caller.
Subsequent investigation revealed that the 16-year-old female was Victim 1, who met Sharpe in December 2015, when he approached her about working for him as a prostitute. Victim 1 stated that McClam was Sharpe’s manager. According to the affidavit, Victim 1 told officers that McClam drove Sharpe, Victim 1 and another woman to the Rockville motel on the evening of December 28, 2015, and had sex with Victim 1 before she saw any customers, as a kind of “test.”
Law enforcement also located multiple online advertisements for prostitution services in the Rockville, Montgomery County, Maryland area, associated with an email account allegedly used by McClam. An undercover officer contacted McClam through a social media account, and during their conversations, McClam indicated he ran an escort service in Rockville and elsewhere and had four girls “working for him.”
Both McClam and Sharpe face a maximum of life in prison for conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor. A criminal complaint is not a finding of guilt, and the individuals charged are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.
The case was investigated by the FBI-led Maryland Child Exploitation Task Force, created in 2010 to combat child prostitution, with members from 10 state and federal law enforcement agencies.
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Key Facts
- State: Maryland
- Category: Sex Crimes|Human Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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