Teen girl survives sex trafficking in Hampton Roads; gang leader now sentenced
NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — A teenage girl survived being not only being sex trafficked and drugged, but also having a hit placed on her by a leader in the Imperial Gangster Bloods gang in Hampton Roads.
Despite efforts to intimidate the victim and witnesses, Pierre De Romeo Smith was sentenced to 32 years in prison in Norfolk on Thursday.
The 16-year-old girl referred to as “Jane Doe” was targeted by Smith on April 30, 2022, according to court records and evidence. After meeting with the victim, the 40-year-old took sexually explicit photos of her in order to advertise her on commercial sex websites. This included the girl being coerced into posing in a suggestive manner with the muzzle of a shotgun in her mouth.
The girl was drugged and given amphetamines by Smith while being sex trafficked for the following three weeks, being sold off to as many as 30 “dates” a night in Hampton Roads, a release states.
On May 19, 2022, Jane Doe was rescued at a hotel during an undercover operation by Virginia Beach Police Department. A text message from Smith was seen on Jane Doe’s phone, stating he was there.
Smith was arrested after being seen arriving at the hotel’s parking garage. In his car were multiple controlled substances, including fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine, and a Glock handgun, which the defendant was prohibited from possessing as a felon.
After being arrested, Smith gave the “green light” for the victim to be killed. The victim told detectives of the hit on her, and they confirmed the information with two sources.
According to those sources, Smith ordered an associate to carry out the hit, and Smith said that no one would testify against him at trial. However, a federal jury convicted Smith on April 6, 2023.
Smith was convicted and sentenced for sex trafficking, production of child sexual abuse images, possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and unlawful possession of a firearm.
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