Greenbelt, Maryland – Sean Dean, age 26, of Baltimore, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of a minor.  Dean admitted that he conspired to traffic four minor girls to engage in commercial sex acts for his financial benefit.  Dean entered his guilty plea on October 29, 2019.

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Chief Russell E. Hamill III of the City of Laurel Police Department; and Special Agent in Charge John Eisert of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

“Sean Dean cruelly preyed on vulnerable girls in order to profit by selling them for sex,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “Children cannot consent to have sex for money and the sex trafficking of children will not be tolerated in Maryland.  Through the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force, law enforcement is working with non-profit organizations to help human trafficking victims and prosecute the traffickers.”

According to Dean’s plea agreement, from December 2017 until January 2018, Dean recruited, harbored, transported, and/or maintained five females, including four minors ranging from 15 to 17 years old, to engage in commercial sex acts.  Dean utilized social media and cellular telephones to recruit, monitor, direct, and communicate with the four girls and the woman.

In furtherance of the sex trafficking enterprise, Dean and/or a co-conspirator rented hotel rooms in Timonium and Laurel, Maryland to be used by the victims to engage in commercial sex acts.  Dean and his co-conspirator transported the victims to the various hotels where they would stay for multiple days. While in the hotel rooms, at Dean’s direction the victims used a website to advertise themselves for commercial sex acts.  The advertisements contained pictures of the victims in provocative poses and provided contact information for clients to use to secure a “date” with the victims.  The victims were required to share a portion of the proceeds from any commercial sex acts with Dean and his co-conspirator. 

As detailed in his plea agreement, during the first week of January 2018, Dean and his co-conspirator transported three of the minor girls and the woman to a hotel in Timonium.  The victims were at the hotel for approximately one week and met with multiple customers per day to engage in commercial sex acts.  During that time, Dean texted one of the minors to bring lingerie to wear in photos and texted one or more of the victims to confirm that they had posted advertisements on the commercial sex website.  The victims shared a portion of the proceeds earned from their commercial sex acts with Dean and the co-conspirator.  The following week, Dean rented rooms at a hotel in Laurel, where the victims stayed for one or two days, again engaging in commercial sex acts with multiple clients.  Dean also recruited the fourth minor girl to come to the hotel to engage in sex acts.

On January 11, 2018, Dean and his co-conspirator transported all five victims to another hotel in Laurel, where Dean had rented rooms for the victims to use for commercial sex acts.  In response to a complaint, law enforcement responded to two different rooms rented by Dean.  Law enforcement located three minor girls and the woman in the two rooms.  The fourth minor girl had already left the hotel.  Dean and the co-conspirator fled to avoid detection by law enforcement.  After leaving the area, Dean exchanged messages with the woman indicating that he had left to avoid law enforcement because he knew one of the victims was under age.  Dean also directed the woman to delete their messages.

As part of his plea agreement, Dean will be required to register as a sex offender in the places where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).

Dean and the government have agreed that if the Court accepts the plea agreement Dean will be sentenced to 10 years in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel has scheduled sentencing for February 28, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. 

This case was investigated by law enforcement agencies that are members of the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force, formed in 2007 to discover and rescue victims of human trafficking while identifying and prosecuting offenders.  Members include federal, state and local law enforcement, as well as victim service providers and local community members.  For more information about the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force, please visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/md/priorities_human.html.

Report suspected instances of human trafficking to HSI's tip line at 866-DHS-2ICE (1-866-347-2423) or by completing its online tip form.  Both are staffed around the clock by investigators.

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the Laurel Police Department and HSI Baltimore for their work in the investigation and thanked the Baltimore County Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for their assistance.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph R. Baldwin and Elizabeth Wright, who are prosecuting the case.

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