In November 2024, Logan D’George was taken into custody for allegedly trafficking and sexually exploiting a juvenile victim. As a result, D’George, a 70-year-old resident of Blair County, Pennsylvania, now faces thirty-two charges, including nine counts of viewing/possessing child sexual abuse material, nine counts of creating child sexual abuse material, one count of trafficking in individuals, one count of unlawful contact with a minor – prostitution, two counts of unlawful contact with a minor – sexual abuse of children, one count of sexual exploitation of children, one count of criminal use of a communication facility, six counts of promoting prostitution and promoting prostitution of a minor, one count of promoting prostitution and promoting prostitution of a minor, one count of statutory sexual assault, and one count of indecent assault.
D’George originally came under suspicion when a “predator-hunting group” reported his online activities to local authorities. Posing as a 15-year-old girl, the group engaged in conversations with D’George on Facebook, at which time he attempted to arrange a meeting.
When police arrived at his home, D’George claimed he was being extorted for money. To support his claim, D’George voluntarily provided access to his phone, where police uncovered multiple messages between D’George and other men discussing exchanging money for explicit photos, as well as messages to women and young girls in the Altoona area. These latter messages detailed D’George’s involvement in the trafficking and exploitation of a 14-year-old victim.
The victim, now 17, testified in court that she initially contacted D’George in November 2021, when she was seeking financial help. She said when she reached out, she thought D’George would have her clean cars like her mother did. She said when she made contact, she thought D’George would have her clean cars like her mother did. Instead, D’George raped her and coerced her into sexual activities. The victim stated that he paid her between $20 and $40 for explicit photos and he later facilitated encounters with “clients” who were willing to pay for sex. This abuse continued over a two-year period, from when the victim was 14 until she turned 16.
Detective Eric Heuston of the Altoona Police Department further testified about the messages he found on D’George’s phone. He explained that the messages detailed “appointments” he had arranged for her as well as confirmed that he was fully aware of her minor status. The victim’s mother also verified that D’George was aware of her daughter’s age.
The preliminary hearing was held on February 21. D’George’s attorney argued that there was no direct evidence of child pornography, however nine files of child sexual abuse material were allegedly recovered from D’George’s phone by detectives. To protect the victim from further harm, these images were not shown in court. All charges were held over to the Court of Common Pleas after the juvenile victim testified. D’George is next scheduled in court for Trial List Review on May 29.
The CSE Institute commends the victim for her courage in testifying and cooperating with law enforcement despite the trauma she has endured. The use of digital forensics and trauma-informed decisions in this case highlight the importance of specialized approaches in prosecuting trafficking offenses.
While we support the extensive charges brought against D’George, we emphasize that cases like this further demonstrate the urgent need for legal reforms, like the adoption of the Equality model, to ensure that all aspects of trafficking are properly prosecuted to the fullest extent. That being said, we believe that D’George should have also been charged with trafficking in minors under 18 Pa.C.S. § 3011(b), and the men that he arranged for the juvenile to meet with should be investigated for violations of human trafficking as well. Children cannot consent to be bought or sold for sex. Individuals who pay to rape children are sex traffickers under both state and federal law.
The CSE Institute will continue to monitor this case and provide updates as they become available.
All views expressed herein are personal to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law or of Villanova University.