Grand Rapids Man Sentenced For Sex Trafficking Runaway Girl
Monday, November 18, 2024, 7:00 A.M. ET. 3 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
GRAND RAPIDS, MI.- A 39-year-old Grand Rapids, Michigan, convicted child predator will be spending the next two and a half decades in federal prison for pimping out a runaway girl into performing sex acts for money.
U.S. Attorney Mark Totten reported that on Thursday, November 14, 2024, Terrence Donte Clay, 39, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, appeared in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan and was sentenced by a U.S. District Court Judge to 300 months in federal prison for his conviction for Sex Trafficking of a Minor; Sexual Exploitation of a Minor; and Distribution of Child Pornography.
Evidence Presented At Trial
According to the evidence and testimony presented at trial, Clay met the child at a park in the City of Grand Rapids, Michigan, in early October 2022. Clay had sexual intercourse multiple times with the child and then ordered her to have sex with other men for money, at one point instructing her to “make a sign” and “panhandle,” offering specific sex acts at set prices.
After taking nude pictures of the child, Clay advertised her online, offering her to perform sex acts in return for money. Police Officers found the child in a library, and she was taken to a foster home in the Upper Penisula area while investigators launched an investigation. Clay was able to locate the child and picked her up at her foster home during the early morning hours of November 12, 2022, without the foster family knowing.
Shortly after crossing south of the Mackinac Bridge, law enforcement officers conducted a motor vehicle stop on Clay’s vehicle and found the child in the car. Clay was then taken into custody and formally charged.
“Mr. Clay is a sexual predator who preyed on a minor victim, treated her like his property, ordered her to sell herself for sex, and demonstrated no remorse for his actions,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. “We are committed to fighting the scourge of human trafficking, including both sex and labor trafficking. I appreciate the investigative work of our law enforcement partners to hold Mr. Clay accountable and secure a measure of justice for the victim.”
“Our Human Trafficking Task Force continues to make progress in prosecutions and building relationships with area victim service providers to further enhance Kent County’s response to sex and labor trafficking,” said Kent County Sheriff Michelle LaJoye-Young.
“Today’s sentencing of Terrence Clay is a decisive victory in our unyielding battle against sexual predators who prey on children,” said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the U.S. Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
