Man Sentenced In South Jersey Sex Trafficking Scheme

A South Jersey man has been sentenced to 12 years, seven months in prison for sex trafficking of a minor, Acting U.S. Attorney William E. Fitzpatrick said Thursday afternoon.

Aaron J. Gray, 30, of Camden, previously pleaded guilty to an information charging him with one count of sex trafficking of a minor. Gray was originally charged in a criminal complaint with co-defendants Aja M. Easley, 24, of Camden, and Kenneth A. Mertz, 36, of Collingswood.

He was also sentenced to 10 years supervised release.

Easley previously pleaded guilty to an information charging her with one count of sex trafficking of a minor. She is awaiting sentencing.

Easley has admitted that on March 2, 2015, she communicated with a minor using a social media website, according to documents filed in the case and statements made in court.

She told the victim she was “worried about” her because of a previous assault by the victim’s boyfriend. She offered the victim money, clothes and shelter, and met with her at the Camden Transportation Center.

Easley told the victim about a dating website, and said the victim could make money through the website by going on “dates.” Easley and the victim later met Gray and Mertz at a home in Camden.

Mertz is then accused of driving everyone to a motel in Cherry Hill, where Gray and Easley attempted to convince the victim to engage in commercial sex acts and took suggestive photos of the victim. Those photos were then used as part of an advertisement on the website.

Easley then used her cell phone to communicate with multiple people who responded to the ad, and Gray gave the victim instructions on what to do when the respondents arrived.

On March 3, 2015, at a motel in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, police say the victim engaged in sex acts with multiple people, who responded to the ad and paid money to the defendants.

The defendants later told the victim they were taking the victim to Atlantic City to meet another person who had responded to the ad, police said.

On the way to Atlantic City, police allege the defendants agreed to let the victim stop at a house in Gloucester City, at which point the victim contacted police. This ultimately led to Gray’s and Easley’s arrests.

The charges and allegations against Mertz remain merely accusations, and he is considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.