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New Mexico man sentenced to 15 years in MT state prison for role in human trafficking scheme – Daily Montanan

['Keith Schubert', 'More From Author', '- February']

Date: 2022-03 

A New Mexico man has been sentenced to 15 years, with three suspended, in Montana State Prison for his role in a multi-state human trafficking scheme, the Montana Attorney General’s Office announced Monday.

According to the announcement, Lavondrick Terelle Hogues sent a woman and a 17-year-old girl on a trip across the country to work as prostitutes in 2015, including in New Mexico, Texas, North Dakota, and Montana.

“Our DOJ investigators and prosecutors kept up with this multi-year case and did a great job winning a conviction that led to this sentence. Human and sex trafficking are happening in Montana, and we will continue our work to eliminate these crimes,” Attorney General Austin Knudsen said in a press release announcing the sentencing.

In 2021, the Montana Department of Justice investigated 68 human trafficking cases — an 871% increase from the seven cases reported in 2015.

Charging documents show Hogues was caught advertising two girls for escort services on the now-defunct website www.backpage.com by a Montana Division of Criminal Investigation agent working undercover.

The investigation found that the woman constantly reported her and the minor’s location, activities, patrons, and how much money they were making and spending, and sent photos to Hogues, with Hogues making comments to the effect that the women “better get to making some money,” according to the press release.

The woman traveling with the minor was convicted of felony promotion of prostitution in 2016, according to the release.

The case was prosecuted by Montana Department of Justice attorneys following an investigation by the Division of Criminal Investigation.

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