United States of America v. Justin Duffer

Providence, Rhode Island criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with attempted sex trafficking of a child in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1591 and 1594.

Justin Duffer, age 36, responded to an online advertisement and communicated with an undercover law enforcement officer posing as an intermediary. During these communications, Duffer agreed to pay for a commercial sex act involving a person he believed to be under the age of 14 and traveled to a meeting location, where he paid an undercover officer $120 in cash before being arrested.

* * *

Child Sex Trafficking is prohibited by 18 U.S.C. § 1591. This statute makes it a federal offense to knowingly recruit, entice, harbor, transport, provide, obtain, or maintain a minor (defined as someone under 18 years of age) knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that the victim is a minor and would be caused to engage in a commercial sex act. “Commercial sex act” is defined very broadly to include “any sex act, on account of which anything of value is given to or received by any person.” In other words, it is illegal both to offer and to obtain a child, and cause that child to engage in any kind of sexual activity in exchange for anything of value, whether it be money, goods, personal benefit, in-kind favors, or some other kind of benefit. Section 1591 also makes it a crime for individuals to participate in a business venture that obtains minors and causes them to engage in commercial sex acts.

The Defendant was found guilty as charged by a jury.