LOS ANGELES– A federal jury this afternoon convicted a Sacramento man of producing child pornography in a case in which his co-defendant previously pleaded guilty to the sex trafficking of the 16-year-old victim.
Antonio Dickerson, 26, was found guilty of one count of sexual exploitation of a minor for production of child pornography, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison.
Dickerson – who was also known by several aliases, including “Girbaud,” “Bohanlin” and “Mayor Marlow” – is scheduled to be sentenced by United States District Judge Stephen V. Wilson on May 2.
Previously in this case, Dickerson’s co-defendant – D’Antoine Thomas, 26, also of Sacramento – pleaded guilty to sex trafficking of a minor. Thomas faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum sentence of life in federal prison when he is sentenced by Judge Wilson on March 14.
The victim in the case was 16 when she met Thomas in Sacramento in 2010. She soon started working for Thomas as a prostitute in Northern California. In April 2011, Dickerson transported Thomas, the victim and another prostitute to Orange County. During this trip, Dickerson directed the 16-year-old victim and another prostitute to simulate sex acts, which he photographed and posted on a website to advertise prostitution services.
“No child should be subjected to this type of exploitation,” said United States Attorney Eileen M. Decker. “Protecting our nation’s most vulnerable, especially minors, by aggressively investigating and prosecuting child exploitation crimes is a top priority of the Justice Department.”
The jury that convicted Dickerson today of producing child pornography also acquitted him of a charge of sex trafficking of a minor.
This case is the result of an investigation by the FBI and Sacramento Sherriff’s Department.