Connecticut man indicted for sex trafficking minors

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — A federal grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment Thursday against a Connecticut man charging him with two counts of sex trafficking a minor.

This indictment resulted from an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the FBI, the Connecticut State Police and the Connecticut police departments of the cities of Bridgeport and Milford, as part of the Connecticut Human Trafficking Task Force.

Jason Prawl, aka “Boots,” 28, of Bridgeport, Connecticut made a first appearance Thursday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Donna F. Martinez in Hartford and entered a plea of not guilty to the charges.

As alleged in the indictment, Prawl recruited, harbored and transported two minor victims to engage in commercial acts.  He trafficked the first victim in July and August 2015 and the second victim between December 2015 and February 2016. Prawl has been detained in state custody since March 9, 2016.

The charge of sex trafficking of a minor carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarala V. Nagala and David E. Novick.

An indictment is not evidence of guilt.  Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.