PITTSBURGH, Pa. (WTAJ) — A convicted trafficker was sentenced in federal court in Pittsburgh for trafficking a teen across state lines for sex, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced.
Donte Lashawn Cole, of Euclid, Ohio, was sentenced to 150 months in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release after being convicted of sex trafficking a minor and coercion and enticement of an adult for commercial sex.
In addition to the sentence imposed by United States District Judge William S. Stickman IV, Cole will also be registered as a sex offender and must comply with the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.
According to information presented to the court, Cole transported a 12-year-old girl from Ohio to a hotel in Monroeville in May of 2023 to have commercial sex with. He also enticed and coerced an adult woman across state lines for commercial sex
Man facing charges of sex trafficking 12-year-old to be extradited to Pennsylvania
Cole reportedly used online s to market the victims for commercial sex services from April 2023 to October 2023, Rivetti added.
Judge Stickman stated that Cole’s conduct was “evil” and noted that he “victimized minor girls, crossed state lines, and treated the girls like property for his own gain.”
“The United States Attorney’s Office is committed to working with our local, state, and
federal partners to stand against human trafficking and the exploitation of children and hold sex
traffickers such as Donte Cole accountable,” Rivetti said. “We will remain vigilant in ensuring that anyone seeking to profit through the exploitation of any child or adult is identified, investigated, and brought to justice.”
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“This predatory trafficker was calculated in how he selected his victims, choosing vulnerable
individuals who he then manipulated into situations where their livelihood depended on being at his beck and call,” Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday said. “Human trafficking is
dehumanizing—some of the most egregious conduct we encounter in society. I commend our federal partners for collaborating to reach a resolution that ensures Donte Cole will be far away, for many years, from anyone else he can exploit, manipulate, and abuse.”
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.
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