Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette Thursday announced that Andrew Golden, 35, of Sterling Heights, pleaded guilty to one count of Minor Sex Trafficking, for sex trafficking a 17 year-old. He was sentenced at the time of his plea to 20 months–20 years in prison.
“We have had so much activity from our human trafficking unit over the over the past several months, we can make no mistake: Human trafficking is happening in Michigan. We can’t ignore the crime happening not just in our cities but in our small towns as well,” said Schuette. “I want to once again thank SEMTEC and local law enforcement for their quick action in this case and their continued efforts to fight human trafficking in our state.”
Golden pleaded guilty to one count of Minor Sex Trafficking, Tuesday, June 27, before Judge Daniel O’Brien in Oakland County Circuit Court and was sentenced at that time. In addition to his prison sentence, Golden must have no contact with the victim, register as a sex offender, and register his DNA.
Golden withdrew a previous guilty plea at the time of sentencing on April 24. As a result the court began a trial on Monday, June 26, but again a plea preempted the trial from continuing.
On December 14, 2016 agents found a posting on the website Backpage advertising “adult entertainment: escorts” that allegedly matched the description of the minor in question. Agents conducted an undercover operation to rescue the girl on that same day Golden was arrested at a hotel in Southfield.
SEMTEC is operated by the FBI and is a partnership with 12 law enforcement organizations, including the Michigan State Police, throughout southeast Michigan. SEMTEC serves as the investigative entity of the federally funded Joint Anti-Trafficking Task Force.
Created by reallocating resources in the Attorney General's Criminal Division, Schuette's Human Trafficking Unit has placed an increased focus on combating human trafficking in Michigan, a priority Schuette identified upon taking office. The unit works closely with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to uncover and prosecute cases of modern-day slavery involving both children and adults.
For additional information, visit the Attorney General’s human trafficking webpage, www.michigan.gov/ag/0,4534,7-164-60857---,00.html.
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