GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA– Arthur Larange Lee Jr., 33, of Gainesville, was arraigned today in the U.S. District Court in Gainesville after a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging him with sex trafficking by force and use of a facility of interstate commerce to promote prostitution. The indictment was announced by Christopher P. Canova, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
The indictment alleges that, between August 4 and 5, 2016, Lee transported, maintained, and advertised a victim, knowing that the victim would be forced to engage in a commercial sex act. The indictment further alleges that Lee used the internet and a cellular telephone to promote a prostitution offense. The trial is scheduled for April 25, 2017, at 8:00 a.m.
The case is being investigated by the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Frank Williams.
An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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.
For more information, contact:
Amy Alexander, Public Information Officer
(850) 216-3854, amy.alexander@usdoj.gov