Second defendant sentenced in Wayland trafficking case
ALLEGAN — A second defendant has been sentenced to prison for her role in a sex trafficking case in Allegan County.
Vanessa Phillips will serve a minimum of 38 months and up to 15 years behind bars on one count of human trafficking. Phillips pleaded guilty to the charge last month.
Several other charges against Phillips, accepting the earnings of prostitution, conducting a criminal enterprise and a second count of human trafficking, were dismissed at the time of her guilty plea.
Phillips and co-defendant Robert Grigsby ran a prostitution ring out of Grigsby's house in Wayland, police said, involving at least 50 victims in the scheme.
Grigsby was sentenced to five to 15 years in the Michigan Department of Corrections earlier this month.
More: Man sentenced to 5-15 years in prison, trafficked 50 victims out of Wayland home
The Wayland Police Department began investigating the enterprise in October 2018. They were aided in the investigation by the state's Human Trafficking Task Force, consisting of the Michigan Attorney General's Office, Michigan State Police and Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel touted the sentencing in a press release Tuesday.
“My office will continue to investigate and hold accountable anyone who tries to exploit vulnerable individuals for profit,” Nessel said. “We appreciate our local partnerships with agencies like the Wayland Police Department that make it possible to pursue these cases.”
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This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Second defendant sentenced in Wayland trafficking case
