NJ Man Guilty Of Sex Trafficking Women From 4 States: Feds

NEWARK, NJ — An Essex County man has been convicted on charges of sex trafficking and prostitution-related offenses, federal prosecutors announced last week.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Amin Sharif, 49, of Newark, was convicted of attempted transportation of a victim with intent to engage in prostitution, sex trafficking of a minor, using an interstate facility to promote unlawful activity, transporting a victim with intent to engage in prostitution, and persuading a victim to travel to engage in prostitution.

Sharif was convicted following a seven-day jury trial.

Prosecutors released the following statement about the case:

“In January 2021, the FBI began investigating Sharif for transporting and attempting to transport women and minors from various states to New Jersey and elsewhere for the purpose of engaging in commercial sex acts. Sharif recruited four females from New York, Pennsylvania, Idaho, and Utah. Sharif used five social media accounts on Instagram and Facebook to recruit and entice victims, creating personas, and calling himself different names: Dallas Love, Chance, Razzile Dazzile, Truman Peterman, and ‘Daddy.’ He promised certain victims housing, payment of bills and expenses, and the potential to earn up to thousands of dollars a day. Sharif advertised the minor victim online offering her for 32 sexual services.”

When Sharif committed these offenses, he was on supervised release for a prior conviction for conspiracy to transport a minor to engage in prostitution, for which he was sentenced to a 10-year prison term, prosecutors said.

The sex trafficking of a minor charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison. The transportation of a victim with intent to engage in prostitution charges each carry a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison, and the persuading a victim to travel to engage in prostitution charge carries a maximum penalty of 60 years in prison. The use of an interstate facility to promote unlawful activity charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. Each count also carries a potential fine of up to $250,000, prosecutors said.

Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 5.

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