LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A North Las Vegas resident who used social media to lure his victims pleaded guilty Thursday to ten federal charges related to child sex trafficking and exploitation.
According to court documents and statements made in court, beginning in April 2017 through Dec. 2017, Jacques Anton Lanier, also known as “John Dupree,” coerced and solicited nine girls under the age of 18 years old to engage in sexual activities with him for money and drugs.
Lanier engaged in commercial sex acts with at least four of the girls.
Officials say he also requested and received sexual images from some of the victims and took a sexually explicit photo of at least one victim, constituting child pornography.
Lanier traveled to California and engaged in sex acts with a victim, the DOJ said.
In 2018, while Lanier was in custody pending related criminal charges, he tampered with one of the victims through intimidation and threats. He persuaded the victim to evade the legal process, refrain from testifying, and prevent communication between the victim and law enforcement regarding federal offenses.
Lanier pleaded guilty to four counts of coercion and enticement, four counts of sex trafficking of children, one count of sexual exploitation of children, and one count of tampering with a witness, victim, or informant.
United States District Judge Gloria M. Navarro scheduled sentencing for March 27, 2024.
Lanier faces the maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Jason M. Frierson for the District of Nevada and Special Agent in Charge Spencer L. Evans for the FBI made the announcement. The FBI, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, and the North Las Vegas Police Department investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorneys Bianca R. Pucci and David Kiebler are prosecuting the case.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse and led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate better, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood or Internet safety education, please visit justice.gov.
Anyone with information on suspected child sexual exploitation can contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) or report.cybertip.
The United States Department of Justice provided the information in this story.
