On February 18th, New Jersey resident Kenneth James Crowell, 35, was sentenced to a minimum of 39 years, four months to a maximum of 78 years, eight months for sex trafficking. Crowell operated a commercial sex-ring from 2014 to 2017 throughout several Southeastern Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey counties.
This sentence follows the November 19, 2019 jury conviction of Crowell and co-defendant Barry “Bear” Schiff, 52, also of New Jersey, on multiple counts of trafficking in individuals, running an organized criminal organization, involuntary servitude, criminal conspiracy, and promoting prostitution. The CSE previously reported their conviction and arrest. Schiff will be sentenced on March 17th.
Crowell and Schiff used false promises of “easy money” to recruit and coerce young women into their sex trafficking operation. Then, Crowell and Schiff yielded drugs, violence, and threats to control and prostitute their victims. While the suffering Crowell caused cannot be erased, his minimum 39-year sentence in prison ensures justice for his victims.
The CSE Institute commends the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office, the Office of the Attorney General of Pennsylvania, and the Pennsylvania State Police for their diligence in securing the aptly decades-long sentence for Crowell, whose sex trafficking operation spanned several counties and three years. The CSE Institute hopes Crowell’s sentence will set a precedent for sex trafficking sentences in our Commonwealth, especially for Crowell’s co-defendant Schiff.