6th Man Indicted In Trafficking Of Teen In Fulton, Cherokee Counties

ATLANTA, GA — A former Fulton County hotel clerk was indicted Monday by a grand jury on human trafficking charges stemming from an ongoing multi-county investigation, Attorney General Chris Carr said Tuesday.

Dionte Johnson, 30, of Atlanta, was charged on suspicion of two counts of trafficking of persons for sexual servitude, Carr said.

Johnson is accused of knowingly helping in the trafficking of a 16-year-old girl by providing rooms where the trafficking took place. Carr accused Johnson of soliciting the teen girl for sex. He was arrested on Feb. 14 by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Carr said.

Carr said five other men have been indicted in Fulton and Cherokee counties relating to the case.

“This indictment is just the latest in a larger investigation that started with a traffic stop in Cherokee County and led to a hotel in Atlanta,” Carr said in a news release. “Working with our partners at the GBI, we are using all resources at our disposal to identify and hold accountable every person who engaged in the trafficking of this underage victim. We will not rest in our pursuit of justice for this young woman, and we will keep fighting each day to protect our most vulnerable Georgians.”

A traffic stop was conducted on Cherokee resident Mark Thomas on Dec. 18, 2021. Carr accused Thomas of driving a 16-year-old girl to Woodstock to be sold for sex to Jose Medina Dominguez and Cesar Juarez Oaxaca.

Thomas, Dominguez and Oaxaca were indicted on Oct. 10, 2022, in Cherokee.

Thomas was charged on suspicion of two counts of trafficking of persons for sexual servitude. If convicted, he could possibly be sentenced to life in prison, Carr said in the past.

Both Dominguez and Oaxaca were charged on suspicion of one count of trafficking of persons for sexual servitude and one count of statutory rape. If convicted, they could possibly be sentenced to life in prison for the former charge and 10-20 years in prison for the latter, Carr said in the past.

Thomas was named in a second indictment in Fulton.

He was accused of trafficking the teen along Fulton Industrial Boulevard and in nearby hotels, Carr said. Cedric Johnson was accused of receiving money and helping Thomas, Carr said in the past.

Ruben Tolentino was accused of having sex with the teen, Carr said in the past.

Thomas faced a slew of charges, including on suspicion of multiple counts of trafficking of persons for sexual servitude, battery, aggravated assault, child molestation and cruelty to children in the first degree, Carr said. If convicted on all charges, Thomas could be sentenced anywhere from one year to life in prison.

Both Johnson and Tolentino were charged on suspicion of one count of trafficking of persons for sexual servitude and could face life in prison, if convicted, Carr said.

“Selling minors for sex will not be tolerated,” GBI Director Mike Register said in the news release Tuesday. “Our HEAT Unit is dedicated to investigating sex and labor trafficking around the state. We are thankful to partner with the Attorney General’s Office as they prosecute these heinous crimes and bring justice to vulnerable victims.”