North Las Vegas man charged with child sex trafficking
A North Las Vegas man made his first court appearance Tuesday after a grand jury indicted him last month on charges including child sex trafficking.
Jacques Anton Lanier, who also went by John Dupree, was indicted Dec. 31 on eight counts of coercion and enticement, four counts of sex trafficking of children, one count of traveling interstate with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, one count of transferring obscene material to a minor and one count of tampering with a witness, according to a Justice Department release.
“Sex trafficking is one of the most devastating crimes, especially when vulnerable child victims are exploited,” Nicholas Trutanich, U.S. attorney for Nevada, said in the release. “January is Human Trafficking Prevention Month, and this case exemplifies the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s commitment to working with our law enforcement partners to bring justice to perpetrators.”
According to the indictment, Lanier was accused of coercing, enticing and persuading eight girls to “engage in prostitution and sexual activities” from April 2017 to December 2017. He is also accused of crossing state lanes to “engage in illicit sexual conduct and transferred obscene matter to a victim under the age of 16 years old,” as well as threatening his victims, the release said.
Lanier’s jury trial is scheduled for March 9.
Contact Alexis Egeland at aegeland@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0335. Follow @alexis_egeland on Twitter.
