SF MAN INDICTED ON CHARGES
OF SEX TRAFFICKING OF A CHILD

By Angela Hokanson, Bay City News Service

February 1, 2006

SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) - A 24-year-old San Francisco man was indicted by a federal grand jury on Jan. 5 on suspicion of sex trafficking of a child, the U.S. attorney's office reported Tuesday.

Antoine Vernon Mouton was arrested on Jan. 26 in Las Vegas on unrelated theft and burglary charges, according to the U.S. attorney's office. Mouton's indictment and arrest resulted from a joint investigation by the San Francisco Police Department's vice crimes division and the FBI's juvenile exploitation unit.

Mouton allegedly benefited financially from the commercial sex acts of a girl under the age of 18 during a trip they made to Las Vegas in April 2005. The girl allegedly gave her earnings from working as a prostitute in Las Vegas to Mouton, the U.S. attorney's office reported.

Court documents charge that the victim started working as a prostitute for Mouton when she was 13.

Mouton will face federal charges in San Francisco after he faces state charges in Las Vegas.

The maximum statutory penalty for one count of sex trafficking of a child between the ages of 14 and 18 where force is not used is 40 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 and lifetime supervised release, the district attorney's office reported.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Morgan-Kelly, with the assistance of Rawaty Yim, is prosecuting the case against Mouton.

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