Judge Sentences Saint Paul Man: 'You Are A Predator. You Are A Pimp.'

Washington County Attorney Pete Orput announced that Damon Michael DiMartino, age 41, of Saint Paul, was sentences on Oct. 28 to 20 years in prison upon being convicted of sex trafficking in the 1st Degree. He was sentenced by Washington County District Judge John McBride. In sentencing DiMartino to the statutory maximum sentence, McBride said to him, “You are a predator. You are a pimp. You prey on the most vulnerable in our community,” according to a news release.

According to the criminal complaint filed in the case, DiMartino picked up a juvenile female, age 16 at the
time, and drove her to St. Paul for the purpose of engaging her in prostitution. Once at their destination in St. Paul, DiMartino waited for the juvenile until her customer left and received the money from the transaction. The juvenile informed authorities that DiMartino had been her “pimp” and that he had her turn multiple ‘tricks’ (acts of prostitution) for a period of time prior to this incident, according to police.

In a statement, Orput said that, "Sex trafficking of minors is prevalent in all communities. This office has made this issue a priority. We are grateful that the court in this case gave voice to the public safety dangers sex trafficking has become. This case illustrates the importance of inter‐county and inter-departmental cooperation of law enforcement agencies."

The investigation was a cooperative effort conducted by the Washington County Attorney’s Office Human Trafficking Unit, the Forest Lake Police Department, the Minneapolis Police Department and the St. Paul Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Imran Ali and Jessica Hockley.

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