ANCHORAGE – A federal jury convicted an Anchorage man on three counts of sex trafficking and one count of drug distribution after a six-day jury trial before U.S. District Judge Joshua M. Kindred. The jury reached its verdicts after one day of deliberations.
According to court documents, Davon Smith, 28, was charged with one count of sex trafficking a minor, one count of benefitting from a sex trafficking enterprise, one count of trafficking an adult by force, fraud or coercion and one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin. According to evidence presented at trial, Smith trafficked an adult and runaway juvenile victim in early 2019. Smith had a previous drug conviction and was on federal supervised release at the time he committed the offenses.
This is the second sex trafficking trial in the District of Alaska in recent months. Tristan Grant was convicted of several offenses including child sex trafficking and the production of child pornography following a bench trial before Senior U.S. District Judge Ralph R. Beistline. Grant’s sentencing is scheduled for September 15 at 9:00 a.m. in Anchorage.
“Individuals looking to profit from the sexual exploitation of children and adults in our community should be on notice that the consequences could include a life term of imprisonment in a federal prison,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Bryan Wilson, District of Alaska. “Our success in prosecuting these offenses results from the courage of the victims and the effective coordination between the Anchorage Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.”
“As demonstrated by this guilty verdict, recruiting adults and minors for commercial sex acts, and profiting from their exploitation, won’t be tolerated here in Alaska,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Adam Pierce of the FBI’s Anchorage Field Office. “While we can’t erase the trauma these survivors experienced, by continuing to aggressively investigate sex trafficking crimes, and with a victim-centered approach, the FBI and our partners on the Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force are ensuring those who commit such crimes are held accountable.”
Smith is scheduled to be sentenced on November 15 in Anchorage. Smith faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. He also faces a term of supervised release of not less than five years and up to life. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Anchorage Police Department (APD) investigated this case as part of the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. The task force marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children through sex trafficking, as well as to identify and recover victims.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Ivers and Adam Alexander are prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, Project Safe Childhood combines federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visitwww.justice.gov/psc.
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