A Jamaica man was sentenced for raping a 16-year-old girl that he met online and prostituting her for money, prosecutors announced Thursday.
Richard “KB” Trantham, 35, was convicted of sex trafficking, compelling prostitution, second-degree promoting prostitution, third-degree promoting prostitution, third-degree rape and endangering the welfare of a child last month. He was sentenced to serve concurrent terms of 20 years in prison for the sex trafficking charge, 10 to 20 years in prison on the compelling prostitution charge, 7½ to 15 years in prison for second-degree promoting prostitution, 3½ to 7 years in prison for third-degree promoting prostitution, 4 years in prison for third-degree rape and 1 year in prison for endangering the welfare of a child.
All of these sentences will be followed by 10 years of post release supervision, and Trantham will have to register as a sex offender.
“The defendant forced this girl into a life of prostitution. He repeatedly raped her and forced her to have sex with strangers for his own financial gain,” said acting District Attorney John M. Ryan. “As I have said many times, prostitution is not a victimless crime and this youngster’s traumatic experience is evidence of that. The sentence imposed today by the court is more than warranted.”
According to trial testimony, in Sept. 2017 Trantham met a 16-year-old girl on Facebook and invited her over. Trantham picked the girl up from school and brought her to his, where he raped her and forced her into prostitution.
All of the money that the victim made was taken by Trantham, who would slap the victim and intimidate her into continuing to prostitute herself for him, saying that she was “messing with his money.” Trantham eventually let the victim go in November 2017.
