PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — A Delaware man has been sentenced to 21 years in jail for his position in a intercourse trafficking ring that focused kids and girls in a number of states, the USA Lawyer Jennifer Arbittier Williams introduced Friday.

Anthony Jones, 38, of Wilmington, was additionally sentenced to 10 years of supervised launch and was ordered to pay $15,160 in restitution to his victims.

“Anthony Jones and his coconspirators used the our bodies of kids for their very own monetary profit,” mentioned Williams.

Jones was discovered responsible in April 2019 of conspiracy to have interaction in intercourse trafficking by power, fraud, and coercion and three counts of intercourse trafficking of minors by power, fraud, and coercion.

In keeping with officers, Jones helped handle the intercourse trafficking enterprise of Dkyle Bridges.

“The multi-year intercourse trafficking conspiracy preyed on teenage women and younger ladies in search of a house and help. As soon as lured into the trafficking circle, the victims have been compelled to have interaction in industrial intercourse acts in southeastern Pennsylvania, Delaware, and elsewhere, for the co-defendants’ monetary profit,” the US Lawyer’s Workplace mentioned in a press release.

Officers mentioned Bridges would use violent and coercive ways to power his victims to stay within the intercourse trafficking operation, “together with pouring water on them to maintain them awake, choking them, and assaulting them.”

Bridges was earlier sentenced to 35 years in jail for his position within the operation.

Anthony Jones’ brother, Kristian Jones, was sentenced to twenty years in jail.

“This sentence of 21 years (for Anthony Jones) and the decades-long sentences handed all the way down to his codefendants mirror the seriousness with which the federal justice system will deal with defendants convicted of intercourse trafficking offenses,” Williams mentioned. “We are going to proceed to work collectively to analyze and prosecute these harmful crimes dedicated towards among the most susceptible members of our neighborhood.”

In keeping with officers, the investigation started in November 2016, when a Tinicum Township police officer stopped a automobile that had not too long ago left a lodge identified to be frequented by people engaged in prostitution.

The motive force admitted to the officer that he had simply met a prostitute on the lodge and had organized the “date” by means of a web site.

Officers mentioned regulation enforcement went to the room that the motive force had visited, and found Kristian Jones, two minor women, condoms and cellphones containing communications with Bridges in regards to the intercourse trafficking conspiracy.

Officers mentioned the room had been rented by Anthony Jones.

The case was investigated by the FBI – Philadelphia with help from the Tinicum Township Police Division; Newark, Delaware Police Division; Delaware State Police; Delaware River Bay Authority; and Philadelphia Police Division.