NY man charged with child sex trafficking in PA

SCRANTON, Pa. — A Brooklyn, New York, man was charged with child sex trafficking in federal court Tuesday after a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Pennsylvania State Police investigation.

According to the charges, Clinton Hayden, aka Showtime, 28, recruited, enticed and transported two minors from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, to New York to engage in commercial sex acts between May and December of this year. Hayden was taken into custody on Dec. 3, 2015 in Jersey City, New Jersey.

The government also filed a plea agreement in the case that is subject to the approval of the court.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis P. Sempa is prosecuting the case. Indictments and criminal informations are only allegations. Anyone charged is presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

If convicted, Hayden faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a potential maximum sentence of life in prison, a term of supervised release following imprisonment and a fine.

This investigation was conducted under HSI’s Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 14,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2015, nearly 2,400 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 1,000 victims identified or rescued.

HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196.

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-THE-LOST.

For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI’s Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page.