Man pleads guilty, faces 15 years to life for sex trafficking, exploitation

Jacques Anton Lanier, also known as “John Dupree,” faces the maximum penalty of life in prison and a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison. He is to be sentenced March 27, 2024, according to a Department of Justice news release.

According to court documents and statements made in court, beginning in April 2017 through December 2017, Lanier used social media to coerce and solicited nine girls under the age of 18 years old to engage in sexual activities with him for money and drugs.

Lanier engaged in commercial sex acts with at least four of the girls. He also requested and received sexual images from some of the victims and took a sexually explicit image of at least one victim constituting child pornography, the news release states.

Lanier traveled to California and engaged in sex acts with a victim.

In 2018, while Lanier was in custody pending related criminal charges, he tampered with one of the victims through intimidation and threats, and persuaded that victim to evade the legal process, refrain from testifying, and prevent communication between the victim and law enforcement regarding federal offenses.

Lanier pleaded guilty to four counts of coercion and enticement; four counts of sex trafficking of children; one count of sexual exploitation of children; and one count of tampering with a witness, victim or informant.

The case was investigated by the FBI, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, and the North Las Vegas Police Department.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

Anyone with information on suspected child sexual exploitation can contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) or https://report.cybertip.org.

Contact Marvin Clemons at mclemons@reviewjournal.com.