Anthony C. Willoughby, Jr., 38, Found Guilty of Juvenile Sex Trafficking

Anthony C. Willoughby, Jr., was found guilty today of juvenile sex trafficking by fraud, force, and coercion following a four-day trial in U.S. District Court, Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, announced, “Human trafficking is far more prevalent than most people realize,” Dettelbach said. “We are committed to stamping out commercial sex trafficking, labor trafficking and all other forms of this modern-day slavery.”

Willoughby, age 38, last resided at 532 Durango Drive, Toledo, Ohio.

He was indicted on Sept. 29, 2010, on the charge on which he went to trial.

At trial, the evidence established that Willoughby moved a 16-year-old, identified in the indictment as S.W., into his home, and began to have sex with her on a daily basis. He soon thereafter began to have S.W. prostitute for him, soliciting customers off a list provided by Willoughby. Willoughby drove S.W. to prostitution appointments, also made S.W. solicit on a street noted for prostitution and sold her for sex to a visitor. Over several weeks, he got more threatening and violent toward her, culminating in several beatings. S.W. finally induced Willoughby to return her to the home of prospective adoptive parents, after S.W. feigned illness and told Willoughby that the FBI was looking for her.

Willoughby will be sentenced after preparation of a presentence report. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years, up to life in prison, fine of $250,000, and up to five years’ supervised release.

The Willoughby case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ava R. Dustin and James V. Moroney. This case was investigated and prepared for trial by the Northwest Ohio Violent Crimes Against Children (NWOVCAC) Task Force, which investigates juvenile sex trafficking, trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, and other child exploitation.

The Task Force is composed of FBI agents, and Task Force Officers from the Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investiagtion, the Toledo police Department, Ohio Highway Patrol, Lima Police Department, Perrysburg Township Police Department, and the Ottawa and Fulton County Sheriff’s Offices.

http://www.fbi.gov/cleveland/press-releases/2011/toledo-man-found-guilty-of-juvenile-sex-trafficking