Human Trafficking Verdict: Man Found Guilty, Receives Two Life Sentences

ATLANTA, GA -- An Atlanta man was found guilty on Monday of several counts of human trafficking, pimping and aggravated assault, among other charges.

Jurors returned guilty verdicts against 43-year-old Shavon Prescott, who was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences plus 113 years in prison by Fulton County Judge Tom Campbell.

The victim in the case met Prescott, who referred to himself as “Jehova Israel,” in January 2013 at a bar on Camp Creek Parkway. The two exchanged phone numbers and dated until February of that year when Prescott forced her into prostitution.

Prescott created more than 45 ads on backpage.com to advertise the victim for sex. The 20-year-old woman was forced to perform sexually for him, as well as numerous other men. If the victim expressed reluctance to continue working as a prostitute, Prescott threatened to kill her and her family, beat her, and strangled her. The victim was held against her will and forced to engage in sex over the course of four months in a quiet residential neighborhood in Union City.

Just days before her escape, she was pistol-whipped, spit upon, punched, and kicked. Prescott then forced her into a shower to clean herself, before commanding her to kiss his feet and perform sex acts for him. The victim was finally able to break free when Prescott allowed her to use the bathroom while he was in the shower.

It was then that the victim managed to escape the home and run to a neighbor for help. During the trial, the jury also heard testimony from a 17-year-old female who was also forced into prostitution by Prescott.