Michigan woman sentenced to prison for conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor in New Orleans

A Michigan woman has been sentenced to five years in prison for conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor.

According to court documents, from around December 2021 through around March 2022, Latesha Gardner, 30, of Flint, Michigan, and her boyfriend, Charles Cunigan, conspired to sex traffic a minor victim and used force, fraud, or coercion to carry out the conspiracy. 

Cunigan and Gardner transported the minor victim across state lines, from Tennessee to Illinois, Louisiana, and Texas, for the purpose of causing her to engage in commercial sex acts.

In addition to the prison sentence, Gardner was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release and pay $9,750 in restitution to the victim. After her release from prison, Gardner will be required to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).

Gardner pleaded guilty on June 18 to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor. Cunigan pleaded guilty on June 25 to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor and sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 24.

Principle Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans for the Eastern District of Louisiana made the announcement.

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