California Man and Nevada Woman Indicted for Interstate Sex Trafficking
WASHINGTON – A federal judge in the Southern District of Mississippi unsealed an indictment in which the United States charged a California man and a Nevada woman with one count each of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion; and interstate transportation for purposes of prostitution.
According to the indictment, between April 2020 and June 2020, Michael Deon Fulcher, 52, and Jonzie Hamilton, 33, used force, fraud and coercion to cause an adult woman to engage in commercial sex acts in multiple states.
The charge of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum of life in prison, up to five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI is asking anyone with information about Michael Deon Fulcher and Jonzie Hamilton to contact the FBI Jackson Field Office at (601) 948-5000. If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking, please call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca for the Southern District of Mississippi and Special Agent in Charge Jermicha L. Fomby for the FBI Jackson Field Office made the announcement. The FBI conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathlyn Van Buskirk of the Southern District of Mississippi and Trial Attorney Kate Alexander of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
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