Gainesville Man Sentenced to 120 Months in Prison for Obtaining Minor for Commercial Sex

GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA – Jeffrey Farrell Davis, 36, of Gainesville, Florida, was sentenced to 120 months in prison yesterday, 25 years of supervised release, $3,000 victim restitution, and a $5,000 special assessment pursuant to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act.  In March 2018, Davis pleaded guilty to child sex trafficking by obtaining a minor child for purposes of engaging in sexual activity.  The sentence was announced by Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

Between April and June 2017, several persons were involved in a scheme to make money using a 14-year-old child to perform commercial sex acts.  Advertisements identifying the victim under a false name were posted in the “escort services” section of Backpage.com for the Gainesville area.  The advertisements were actually for the purpose of offering the child for commercial sexual activity.

Persons responded to the advertisements by calling or texting a cellular telephone number provided in the ad.  Arrangements were then made to deliver the child for purposes of commercial sex.  The child was delivered to persons at various locations in north central Florida, including private residences and motels.  Davis is one of the individuals who responded to the Backpage.com advertisements.  He engaged in commercial sex with the child on two separate occasions.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Frank Williams.

The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General.  To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website.  For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.