Pennsylvania man pleads guilty to sex trafficking of a minor

HARRISBURG, Pa. — A Pennsylvania man pleaded guilty Thursday to sex trafficking of a minor. The guilty plea is the result of an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Pennsylvania State Police and the Luzerne County District Attorney's Office.

Travis Humphrey, 26, of Wilkes-Barre, pleaded guilty to the charge before U.S. District Judge Robert D. Mariani.

According to court documents, Humphrey admitted that he helped others commit the crime by recruiting and transporting a 16-year-old female to engage in commercial sex acts in motels in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Humphrey and others rented motel rooms and posted "escort" advertisements and photographs on backpage.com during May 2013.

Judge Mariani ordered a pre-sentence investigation to be completed and scheduled sentencing for the week of September 22. Humphrey faces up to life in prison.

Humphrey's wife and co-defendant, Kyoni Humphrey, previously pleaded guilty to transporting a female from Pennsylvania to New Jersey to engage in prostitution.

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 10,000 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 2013, more than 2,000 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative.

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. 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.

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.