Human sex trafficking investigation of convicted felon results in prison sentence for 31 year old man

Multnomah Co. District Attorney's Office - 01/10/19


Today, Multnomah County District Attorney Rod Underhill announced 31-year-old Marvin Glenn Mitchell received a five year and nine month prison sentence following a human sex trafficking investigation conducted by the Portland Police Bureau.

On January 4, 2019, Mitchell pleaded guilty to two counts of promoting prostitution and one count of assault in the fourth degree constituting domestic violence.

Mitchell admitted that in March 2017 he intentionally engaged in conduct that aided, facilitated and promoted the sex trafficking of two females. Furthermore, Mitchell admitted that he knowingly caused physical injury to one of the females and that the assault was committed in the immediate presence of a child.  

According to court records, Mitchell was ordered to register as a sex offender after being convicted of promoting prostitution in 2010.

During this investigation, law enforcement learned that Mitchell first met one of the victims in 2006 when he was 18 years old. The victim was in middle school at the time. The two became involved in a romantic relationship.

“This was a vulnerable young girl and Marvin Mitchell took advantage of that fact,” Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Mike Botthof said after sentencing. “He started to groom the victim. He told her that if she helped him make money then he buy her nice clothing. That’s when he started to promote her into selling her body for sex on Burnside Street and 82nd Avenue in Portland.”

During Mitchell’s sentencing Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Karin J. Immergut said Mitchell’s actions “harmed two young women very seriously.”

As part of his sentencing, Mitchell was ordered to register as a sex offender. Upon release from custody, Mitchell will be on three years of post-prison supervision.

This case was investigated by the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office Human Sex Trafficking Team, which includes two attorneys, an investigator and a victim advocate. Additionally, an attorney assigned to the MCDA gang unit is available to help prosecute cases and support the team as trafficking routinely intersects with gang violence.

The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office’s Human Trafficking Team works to protect victims utilizing a three-prong approach: (1) aggressively prosecuting those who traffic victims to sex buyers; (2) reducing demand for exploitation in all forms to include a dedicated focus on a reduction of sex buyers; and (3) ensuring adequate protection and support for victims of human trafficking.

If you are involved in sex trafficking, please call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or 9-1-1.


Photo

Comments