March 26, 10

NEWS / Maryland Man Convicted of Sex Trafficking, Firearm and Drug Charges

WASHINGTON- The Justice Department announced that Lloyd Mack Royal, III aka "Blyss", aka "B", aka "Furious" was convicted late yesterday of sex trafficking of minors and sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion, as well as firearm and drug charges. Two other co-defendants, Angela Samantha Bentolila and Paul Raymond Green, previously pleaded guilty to related charges.

The jury found Royal guilty of 3 counts of sex trafficking, including sex trafficking of minors and sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion. The jury also convicted Royal of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, possession of a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence, and two counts of distribution of controlled substances to a person under the age of twenty-one.

"The defendant preyed upon vulnerable minors and prostituted them by a variety of deplorable means for his own benefit," said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. "The Department of Justice will continue to devote its full efforts to prosecuting those who commit such exploitative crimes."

"We have made it a priority in Maryland to pursue criminals who lure or coerce children into prostitution," said U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein. "Maryland’s Human Trafficking Task Force works with law enforcement officers and private sector organizations to identify and rescue victims of human trafficking and prosecute criminals who exploit them. Pimps who victimize children are at the top of our list."

Sentencing before U.S. District Judge Alexander Williams, Jr. is scheduled for April 29, 2010. Royal faces incarceration of up to life in prison and potential fines in excess of $1 million.

In announcing the convictions, Assistant Attorney General Perez, and U.S. Attorney Rosenstein commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Montgomery County Police Department and Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force for their work in this cooperative investigation and prosecution. Assistant U.S. Attorney Solette Magnelli and Civil Rights Division Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit Trial Attorney Jim Felte are prosecuting this case for the government.

http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2010/March/10-crt-309.html