Johnston County man sentenced to 35 years in prison for sex trafficking of a minor
A Johnston County man has been sentenced to 35 years in prison for the human trafficking of a woman and a minor, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina.
Marvarlus Cortel Snead, a 34-year-old Four Oaks resident, was sentenced Monday to the prison time as well as lifetime probation, the office said in a news release.
Snead, who officials say involved a woman and a minor in prostitution around Eastern North Carolina in December of 2017 and January of 2018, was convicted last year after a four-day jury trial.
He has also been ordered to pay more than $200,000 in restitution to the minor victim.
Snead lured in his victims with “promises of money and romance,” before manipulating them and taking their money, the office said.
He also engaged in sexual relationships with both victims.
“This case is about the victims, who suffered at the hands of a greedy trafficker,” said G. Norman Acker III, acting U.S. attorney for the district. “Our community will not tolerate perpetrators like this defendant targeting our most vulnerable children and citizens for their profit.”
Snead was arrested after a prostitution sting operation in 2018 at a hotel in Wilmington, the office said.
After his arrest, he attempted to manipulate the minor victim into signing false affidavits, according to the release.
The National Human Trafficking Hotline statistics show that there were 266 reported cases of human trafficking in North Carolina in 2019 — the 11th highest in the country.
Individuals who are the victims of human trafficking or believe they have information about human trafficking activity may call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or send a text message to BeFree (233733).
