PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A Rhode Island man is headed to federal prison for sex trafficking a 14-year-old girl in New Jersey.
The U.S. Attorney’s office says Paul Monteiro, of Providence, was sentenced Monday to 12 years behind bars. He pleaded guilty last year to sex trafficking of a child.
Rhode Island State Police began investigating after receiving a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Prosecutors say Monteiro lured the girl from a group home in Rhode Island in 2015 to work as a prostitute in New Jersey. Police tracked the girl to a hotel in Franklin Township by getting a fix on her cellphone location.
Police say Monteiro had sold the girl for sex using an escort advertisement on the internet.
(Copyright (c) 2024 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)