Minnesota man pleads guilty to transporting a minor for prostitution

MINNEAPOLIS — A suburban Twin Cities man pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to transporting a minor to engage in prostitution.

This guilty plea is the result of an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) and the Anoka County Sheriff's Office.

Napoleon Long, Jr., 27, of Fridley, Minn., pleaded guilty to transporting a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.

In his plea agreement, Long admitted that in October 2011 he transported a 17-year-old girl from Minnesota to Colorado Springs, Colo., with the intent that she engage in prostitution. Long also admitted knowing the girl was a minor and that she engaged in at least one sexual act while in Colorado, as well as to a pattern of sexual activity while working as a prostitute for him.

For his crime, Long faces a potential maximum penalty of life in federal prison. His exact sentence will be determined at a future hearing. There is no parole in the federal prison system.

This investigation was part of Operation Predator, a nationwide HSI initiative to protect children from sexual predators, including those who travel overseas for sex with minors, Internet child pornographers, criminal alien sex offenders and child sex traffickers. HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-347-2423 or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators.

Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-843-5678.

HSI is a founding member and current chair of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.