After nearly three hours of deliberation that ended late Friday, a federal jury convicted a Little Rock man of sex trafficking a minor after a weeklong trial that included testimony from the victim, the victim’s family, the defendant, expert witnesses and law enforcement officers.
Anthony Atkins, 25, could serve a minimum a 10 years to life in prison for arranging sexual encounters for a 17-year-old girl who was living with him during the summer of 2018.
In exchange for room and board, Atkins told the woman, identified in court as “L.D.” to protect her identity, that she would have to work for him, prosecutors said.
“She understood that to mean she had to prostitute for him,” Benecia Moore, the assistant U.S. attorney said during closing arguments Friday afternoon. “She had to sell herself.”
Sentencing for Atkins will take place at a later date.
Little Rock police arrested Atkins in July 2018 after an arrest the previous month of the then 17-year-old L.D. on a prostitution charge.
Investigators tied Atkins to the victim by reviewing social media accounts, online ads on an escort service site that authorities said is commonly used for sex trafficking, as well as statements from the girl.
The final day of the trial opened with testimony from Atkins who took the stand for about 30 minutes during which much of what he said was jumbled.
Throughout the trial, Atkins, who calls himself an entrepreneur, has punctuated testimony with outbursts resulting in sharp rebukes from U.S. District Judge Lee Rudofsky.
During closing statements Friday afternoon, Atkins was asked to leave the courtroom for continued interruptions.
He later was allowed to return.
Such interruptions followed a pattern throug ..
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