2 Plead Guilty to Prostituting 13-year-old Girl in Boston

A man and woman from Maine who were arrested on New Year’s Eve appeared in U.S. District Court on Wednesday and pleaded guilty to charges of prostituting a 13-year-old girl in Boston.

Shawna Calhoun, 24, of Lewiston, and Alvin Houston, 27, of Auburn, pleaded guilty to transporting an individual in interstate commerce with the intent that she engage in prostitution, United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced.

Their guilty plea brought about an admission to advertising the girl on the pay-for-sex site Backpage.com, according to court documents.

Court documents also revealed both Calhoun and Houston arranged for a rental car before transporting the girl from Maine to Boston. While in Boston, the pair drove the girl to various hotels across the city for the purpose of engaging in prostitution.

The 13-year-old told law enforcement officials that she had “engaged in prostitution” in Boston, according to additional documents filed in court.

On December 30, 2014, the two learned the FBI was seeking the girl. After driving her back to Maine on the morning of December 31, 2014, for another arranged prostitution meeting, Calhoun and Houston were arrested in the parking lot outside of a Bangor hotel.

Both defendants face up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for their actions.