Boston Man Charged with Sex Trafficking of a Minor

BOSTON – A Boston man has been charged with allegedly trafficking a minor he met on social media to engage in commercial sex acts.

Jimall Dawn Brown, 33, was charged by criminal complaint with one count of sex trafficking of a minor. Brown was arrested this morning and will appear in federal court in Boston at 3 p.m. this afternoon before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Judith G. Dein.

“Human trafficking – which includes both sex and labor trafficking – is a form of slavery that causes unimaginable harm through exploitation and degradation. It is an assault on an individual's dignity and is an urgent threat to public safety and public health. Human Trafficking impacts people across races, genders, age, immigration status, and socio-economic statuses and is often perpetrated against the most vulnerable among us – in this case, a child,” said United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins.

U.S. Attorney Rollins continued, “We allege that Mr. Brown preyed on a vulnerable teenager that he found on social media, coerced her to travel to Boston, where he trafficked her to engage in commercial sex. He exploited this child for thousands of dollars of profit by forcing her to engage in sex acts inflicting violence and harm when she tried to break away and leave. We must begin to face the harsh reality that human trafficking is happening every single day in our Commonwealth and across our country. With my newly established Civil Rights & Human Trafficking Unit, the United States Attorney's Office remains steadfast in our fight to combat this growing threat, hold traffickers accountable and bring services, treatment and some level of justice to victims and survivors of this awful crime.”

“No person, let alone a minor, should be treated as a commodity to be transported and sold again and again. But that is exactly what Jimall Dawn Brown is accused of doing for his own financial gain. He even went as far as allegedly threatening this victim in this case with violence if she tried to break free from this cycle of abuse,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “Sex trafficking is a despicable crime that has a long-lasting and devastating impact on its victims. Every day, FBI Boston's Child Exploitation – Human Trafficking Task Force is working hard to protect children by bringing to justice those who exploit them. We take a victim-centered approach to each case, and we urge anyone who is or believes they may be a victim to contact us.”

“We are proud of the collaboration the Boston Police Department has with our federal law enforcement partners. This is another example of our department working to keep the community safe,” said Michael Cox, Commissioner of the Boston Police Department.

According to the charging document, Brown trafficked a 17-year-old victim to engage in commercial sex acts. It is alleged that Brown first met the victim, who was living outside Massachusetts, on social media. He induced and coerced her to fly to Boston, with promises of a ‘better lifestyle.” Brown posted advertisements of the victim online and arranged “dates” for the victim to have sex in exchange for money. Brown allegedly set the pricing for the commercial sex acts she engaged in, for which he collected all of the profit.

In March 2022, Brown allegedly coerced the victim, who was still a minor at the time, to fly to Georgia, where he arranged for her to engage in commercial sex, for which he collected all of the profit. It is further alleged that in April 2022, Brown took the victim to Nevada, again arranging for her to engage in commercial sex and keeping all of the profit.

According to the charging document, local law enforcement in Massachusetts met with the victim at which time she alleged that Brown told her she would have a better life if she came to Boston to “be with him,” however once she did so, Brown prevented her from leaving. Specifically, it is alleged that when the victim would attempt to leave Brown, he would threaten her or beat her up. For example, as stated in court documents, if she told him she wanted to go home, he would put his hands on her, slap her and yell at her. On multiple occasions, Brown allegedly hit the victim, choked her and physically restrained her.

Members of the public who believe they may be a victim of this alleged crime should contact [email protected]. If you or someone you know may be impacted or experiencing commercial sex trafficking, please visit https://polarisproject.org/ for information and resources.

The charge of sex trafficking of a minor provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

U.S. Attorney Rollins, FBI SAC Bonavolonta, BPD Commissioner Cox and Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Arlington and Randolph Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Torey B. Cummings of Rollins' Civil Rights & Human Trafficking Unit is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.