Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Vincent Graham, a/k/a “Shawn” and “Mac,” 35, of Bronx, New York, was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court by Judge John A. Woodcock to 320 months in prison and six years of supervised release for sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion; distributing heroin and cocaine base, commonly known as “crack;” and transporting a victim in interstate commerce with the intent that she engage in prostitution.  Graham pleaded guilty on January 4, 2019.

According to court records, in 2015, Graham, using force and threats, recruited an adult female to engage in commercial sex acts in Biddeford, Maine.  Graham verbally abused and assaulted the victim, threatened her with violence, and exploited her heroin and crack addictions. Graham distributed crack to the victim.  He also supplied her with just enough heroin to avoid withdrawal and threatened to cut off her supply and cause her to suffer withdrawal if she refused to engage in commercial sex acts.  Graham also caused the victim, and a second woman, to travel from Maine to New Hampshire and Massachusetts to engage in prostitution.

In imposing the sentence, Judge Woodcock said: “I don't know how to express how deplorable I think your conduct was.  As a man, it's just unimaginable to me that you would treat a woman this way.”  Judge Woodcock added: “The need to provide just punishment requires no further explanation.  The need to protect the public is also self-explanatory.”

“The District of Maine’s human trafficking prosecutions are recognized nationally,” said U.S. Attorney Frank.  “Our office brings many of these prosecutions and defendants receive lengthy sentences that should make it crystal clear that human trafficking is a despicable crime that will not be tolerated in Maine.”

The investigation was conducted by the Biddeford Police Department; the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the FBI; and Maine’s Anti-Trafficking Coordination Team (ACTeam). ACTeams focus on developing high-impact human trafficking investigations and prosecutions involving forced labor, international sex trafficking and sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion through interagency collaboration among federal prosecutors and federal investigative agencies.

            Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Vincent Graham, a/k/a “Shawn” and “Mac,” 33, of Bronx, New York, was indicted yesterday by a grand jury and charged with sex trafficking, drug distribution and transporting individuals in interstate commerce intending that they engage in prostitution.

 

            Graham faces between 15 years and life in prison on the sex trafficking charges, up to 20 years on the drug charges and up to 10 years on the transportation counts.  He also faces fines of up to $250,000 on the sex trafficking and transportation counts and up to $1,000,000 on the drug counts.

 

            The case was investigated by the Biddeford Police Department; the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency; U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the Federal Bureau of Investigation; as part of Maine’s Anti-Trafficking Coordination Team (ACTeam) Initiative, an interagency federal law enforcement initiative aimed at streamlining the investigation and prosecution of federal human trafficking offenses.

 

            An indictment is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed to be innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.