Man Who Allegedly Sex Trafficked Missing Minor Charged

A New Jersey man was charged Friday for sex trafficking a missing minor, authorities announced.

31-year-old Semaj A. Gilmore is charged with one count of sex trafficking a minor, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Investigators discovered in April that a missing juvenile from Pennsylvania was being advertised on a website “that is often used to advertise acts of prostitution.” The minor was allegedly being advertised for sexually illicit activities. An undercover agent used the number associated with the ad to converse with Gilmore about the juvenile in question on April 13, according to the DOJ.

The agent discovered the missing female minor was staying in a motel in Mount Laurel, New Jersey. (RELATED: Pastor, High School Coach Among Nearly 80 People Arrested In Sex Trafficking Sting Operation)

Camden man charged with sex trafficking of a minor https://t.co/icuJjpVrBH

— NJ US Attorney (@USAO_NJ) April 16, 2021

Gilmore and the undercover agent exchanged a series of texts that led to the undercover agent setting up a meeting with the juvenile victim in a motel room. Gilmore told the undercover agent about the various rates, such as $300 for an hour, $200 for a half-hour and $100 for a “short stay,” according to the complaint.

After the undercover agent agreed to meet the victim, Gilmore told the agent to “get condoms while your [sic] there, I’ll give u [sic] the money for them,” the complaint read.

The undercover agent went to the motel and met with the victim who allegedly asked if the agent had condoms and the pair “discussed various sexual activities.”

The undercover agent told the victim he had to retrieve the money from his vehicle, and when he opened the door to the motel room other agents swarmed in. Gilmore, meanwhile, fled the scene until law enforcement was able to stop him, according to the complaint.

The charge carries a statutory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life, according to the DOJ.