ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Woodbridge man was sentenced today to 15 years in prison for sex trafficking young women and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Cornell Devore Rhymes, 32, conspired with others, including Justin Robinson and Markus Plummer, who were previously convicted, to force and coerce young women into commercial sex work during the summer of 2017. Over a period of approximately three months, Rhymes and the others recruited young women, including a minor, into commercial sex work. The men advertised the women for sex acts, set their “dates,” and collected and retained the profits. Prior to trial, Rhymes had pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, after law enforcement discovered a gun in his home during the execution of a search warrant.

This matter was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, which is composed of FBI agents, along with detectives from the Fairfax County Police, Arlington County Police, Prince William County Police, Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, Leesburg Police, Alexandria City Police, Washington Metropolitan Police, Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office, George Mason University Police, United States Marshal’s Service, and agents of various Office of Inspector Generals. This matter was brought to the task force by the Prince William County Police Department.

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. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals 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 visit www.justice.gov/psc.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Matthew J. DeSarno, Special Agent in Charge, Criminal Division, FBI Washington Field Office, Colonel Edwin C. Roessler Jr., Fairfax County Chief of Police, and Barry M. Barnard, Chief of Prince William County Police, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Whitney Dougherty Russell and Raizza Ty prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:18-cr-22. Information about Justin Robinson and Markus Plummer’s cases can be found by searching for Case No. 1:17-cr-310.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Washington, D.C., man pleaded guilty today to forcibly sex trafficking a minor.

According to court documents, Justin Shayne Robinson, 26, lured the 16-year-old victim to a motel in northern Virginia. Once the minor victim arrived, Robinson directed photos to be taken of the minor, and created online advertisements for commercial sex acts with the minor. Robinson and his co-conspirator, Markus Jakeem Plummer, 27, of Woodbridge, then prostituted the minor over a period of roughly a week. Robinson and Plummer took all the proceeds of the minor’s commercial sex acts for their own benefit.  Robinson and Plummer kept watch over the minor to ensure that she continued to see clients and was unable to escape. Robinson used violence to force the victim to continue working for him, including choking her, leaving medically documented bruising on her leg and neck.

Robinson pleaded guilty to sex trafficking of a minor by force, fraud, or coercion, and faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum of life in prison when sentenced on April 27. Plummer pleaded guilty to conspiracy to sex traffic a minor by force, fraud or coercion on January 12, and faces a maximum penalty of life in prison when sentenced on April 13.

Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Andrew W. Vale, Assistant Director in Charge, Washington Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga accepted the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorney Whitney Russell is prosecuting the case.

The Fairfax County Police Department and Prince William County Police Department provided significant assistance during this investigation.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:17-cr-310.