On January 30, Eric Jefferson, 41, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison without parole after pleading guilty to one of four sex trafficking charges. As a part of his plea agreement, Jefferson also acknowledged his role in trafficking at least three other victims and his role in producing child sexual abuse material.
Between June 2019 and April 2022, Jefferson exploited the drug dependence of at least four women, forcing them to perform sexual acts for others by withholding drugs and making them endure withdrawal if they refused. He then took their earnings, claiming it was rent for staying in his Polish Hill home.
Jefferson’s arrest took place on May 18, 2022, following several weeks of surveillance by federal and local law enforcement. An FBI SWAT team executed a search warrant at his residence, thus leading to the uncovering of evidence of his commercial sexual exploitation of the victims. During court proceedings, Jefferson stated the victims agreed to a “verbal contract” with him, in which he would perform sexual acts with them while they were unconscious, film the assaults, and post them online. The victims denied ever consenting to the sexual acts performed by both Jefferson and the men who paid to rape them.
Beyond exploiting the victims’ drug dependencies, Jefferson controlled them through physical force and threats. In initial interviews with federal investigators, Jefferson admitted telling the women that going without sex would lead to something bad, hinting at a mass shooting.
Under federal law, a person is guilty of trafficking if they recruit, entice, harbor, transport, provide, obtain, advertise, maintain, patronize, or solicit a person for a commercial sex act through force, fraud, and coercion. Jefferson’s conviction is appropriate because he knowingly exploited the women’s drug dependencies and used threats and physical force to control them, force them to person sex acts, and profited from their abuse. In doing so, Jefferson enticed the victims to perform sex acts by appealing to their drug dependencies, provided them with those substances, and maintained their status as victims of trafficking.
For the majority of victims and people in the sex trade, exploitation is inextricably linked to substance abuse. 84% of women report they used alcohol, drugs or both during their exploitation. And for many, including the victims in this case, those substances are what keep them in their position of vulnerability.
The CSE Institute commends Assistant U.S. Attorney DeMarr Moulton for prosecuting this case and securing justice for the victims. This prosecution is part of Operation T.E.N. (Trafficking Ends Now), a coalition of law enforcement, community groups, and nonprofits across 25 counties in the Western District of Pennsylvania. The initiative fights human trafficking through education, collaboration, and victim support, helping survivors rebuild their lives.
Above all, the CSE Institute applauds and recognizes the bravery of the victims who testified before United States District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan to secure this 25-year sentence.
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.