Trafficker Gets 21 Years for Beating, Whipping 18-Year-Old

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — A 27-year-old Detroit man was sentenced to 21 years and eight months in federal prison for sex trafficking an 18-year-old woman through force, fraud and coercion, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California announced.

Read the U.S. Attorney's Office release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdca/pr/man-sentenced-21-years-recruiting-prostituting-and-repeatedly-beating-and-whipping-18

The Recruitment, The Control, The Abuse

Jackson recruited the victim when she was 18 years old and quickly established a controlling relationship that evolved into commercial sexual exploitation, according to court documents and evidence presented to the court.

Jackson taught the victim how to engage in prostitution, dictated where and how she worked, controlled all earnings generated from her commercial sex acts, and set the prices she charged and how she advertised sexual services online, according to the evidence.

The evidence showed Jackson transported the victim across multiple states, including Nevada, California and Arizona, where he profited from her commercial sex acts.

Court records describe numerous instances in which Jackson punched, kicked, whipped and otherwise physically abused the victim, sometimes for days, causing significant injuries. The abuse was often accompanied by psychological manipulation designed to maintain control over the victim and discourage her from leaving.

The Escapes, The Return, The Sentence

On Aug. 29, 2024, the victim fled Jackson and reported to officers with the National City Police Department that she was being sex trafficked. Even after she sought help from law enforcement, Jackson continued attempting to exert control over her through phone calls, manipulation and threats, according to the evidence.

The victim later returned to Jackson. In October 2025, she escaped from an apartment in Denver after enduring another prolonged assault. She fled without shoes, a phone or identification and sought help by calling 911. Responding officers documented extensive injuries consistent with the abuse described by the victim.

In imposing a sentence above the advisory federal sentencing guideline range, Judge Robinson cited the victim's youth, the extreme and repeated violence inflicted upon her, and the serious bodily injuries she suffered. The court also considered Jackson's criminal history, including prior convictions involving violent offenses against women.

Sedrick Jackson, 27, of Detroit, Michigan — Case No. 25-cr-4580-TWR. Count 1: conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1594(c). Maximum penalty: life in prison and a $10 million fine. Sentence: 260 months in federal prison.

"Human traffickers who use fear, manipulation, and brutality to control their victims can expect lengthy federal prison sentences," said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon.

"This sentence holds Jackson accountable and sends a clear message that HSI and our law enforcement partners will pursue those who exploit and brutalize victims," said Kevin Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations San Diego. "We remain committed to identifying trafficking survivors, supporting their path to safety and bringing their exploiters to justice."

The Agencies, The Task Force, What Comes Next

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations San Diego, the San Diego Sheriff's Office, Homeland Security Investigations Denver, Homeland Security Investigations Las Vegas, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, the Denver Police Department, the Denver District Attorney's Office, the Arizona Department of Public Safety and the Mohave County District Attorney's Office.

The case is the result of the ongoing efforts of the Special Victims Unit, formed in April 2025 to lead collaborations between federal and local law enforcement in cases involving sex trafficking and child exploitation, civil rights and labor trafficking. The unit also oversees the Southern District of California liaisons to the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force and Project Safe Childhood.

Sources

U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of California, "Man Sentenced to 21 Years for Recruiting, Prostituting and Repeatedly Beating and Whipping 18-Year-Old Girl," November 6, 2026: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdca/pr/man-sentenced-21-years-recruiting-prostituting-and-repeatedly-beating-and-whipping-18