East Hartford Man Sentenced to 8 Years in Federal Prison for Child Sex Trafficking Offense

Leonard C Boyle, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JOSEPH PINA, 24, of East Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford to 96 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for a child sex trafficking offense.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in October 2019, Pina conspired with his associate, Joel Lindsay, to recruit, entice and transport a 16-year-old girl to engage in commercial sex acts.  Specifically, on October 17, 2019, Pina, Lindsay and another individual picked up the minor victim and took her to a hotel in East Windsor. At the hotel, they took photographs of the minor victim and posted her photos on a website to advertise her sexual services.  Pina and Lindsay then arranged prostitution appointments for the minor victim.  On that night, the minor victim earned at least $100 from prostitution appointments, all of which she gave to Lindsay.

On October 18, 2019, Pina and Lindsay posted more advertisements on the same web site and arranged prostitution appointments for the minor victim at a hotel in Windsor Locks.  The following two days, Pina and Lindsay posted advertisements on the website and the minor victim saw additional prostitution customers.  The victim again gave all of the money earned through these appointments to Lindsay.

The investigation further revealed that Pina and Lindsay engaged in sexual activity with the minor victim, even though they knew that she was under the age of 18.  The minor victim also reported to investigators that Lindsay physically assaulted her.

On October 6, 2021, Pina pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor.

Pina, who had been released on bond, was remanded to custody at the conclusion of today’s court proceeding.

On October 15, 2021, Lindsay, also known as “Joey Guapo,” pleaded guilty to one count of sex trafficking of a minor.  He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 13.  Lindsay, a citizen of Jamaica, has been detained since arrest on August 20, 2020.

This matter has been investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Angel M. Krull.