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Man sentenced to life in prison for sex trafficking of a minor – KETV

A 42-year-old man indicted in an alleged operation was sentenced Friday to life in prison.

In May, Carney Turner pleaded guilty to four federal counts of sex trafficking of a minor in relation to the case, which stretched from Omaha to South Dakota.

In his guilty plea, Turner wrote that he recruited three minors “in reckless disregard of their age, to engage in a commercial sex act.”

The case started as a Homeland Security investigation in January 2021 into sex trafficking that netted a federal indictment on the ring's alleged leader, Turner.

He was indicted in February 2021 on allegations he had been advertising sex with an underage girl .

According to court documents, co-defendant Julisha Biggs and three minor victims engaged in prostitution “under the direction of and for the financial benefit of Turner” between January 2020 and February 2021.

Turner allegedly posted online advertisements depicting Biggs, who pleaded guilty to one count of trafficking a minor in May, and the minors to arrange sex acts for money, according to court documents.

Biggs and the minor victims engaged in sex acts with buyers at hotels in Omaha and Council Bluffs, according to court documents.

In requesting the life sentence, according to court documents, the prosecution said Turner's history “demonstrates that his conduct in this case was hardly an anomaly for him.”

The prosecution also said Turner poses a significant danger to society, according to court documents.

“The facts of this case are egregious, involving the abuse and exploitation of some of the most vulnerable members of our community and inflicting pain, stress, trauma, and social stigma that has impacted these victims for years already and is likely to follow them for the rest of their lives,” the prosecution said.