Human trafficking ‘boss’ sentenced to prison
A Seattle man accused of orchestrating a traveling human trafficking prostitution operation was sentenced to 13 years in prison Monday.
Joseph “Joe” Llewllyn Johnson of Seattle pleaded guilty to an amended count of aggravated promotion of prostitution, a felony, and no contest to a second amended count of aggravated promotion of prostitution through a plea agreement with the state.
The binding plea agreement carried a recommended sentence of a total of 40 years in the Montana State Prison with 27 years suspended.
Johnson admitted to compelling co-defendant and victim Breanna Joy Ingalls to engage in sexual activity for his own financial gain.
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Francisco Padilla Johnson and Ingalls, both 18 at the time, were arrested and charged for their alleged roles in trafficking an underage girl after a law enforcement bust at the Great Falls Motel 6 last summer.
Ingalls testified in court Monday, explaining that she met Joe Johnson in Seattle about six months before the bust.
“He asked me one day if I wanted to make money with him,” she said, and clarified that “making money” meant “having sex with people for money.”
Ingalls added that she thought she was in a romantic relationship with Joe Johnson.
“How did the money get split up?” Deputy Cascade County Attorney Josh Racki asked.
“It would mostly go to Joe,” Ingalls answered.
She also testified that Joe Johnson mentored Francisco Johnson, teaching him how to conduct his prostitution business “safely.” Ingalls said Joe Johnson paid for the group’s motel room in Great Falls and the ads they placed on Backpage.com to attract customers. She also said everyone in the group knew the other victim was underage before the trip to Montana last summer.
Joe Johnson’s attorney, James Gardner, questioned Ingalls about her history in Seattle.
He asked if she knew that a Seattle detective described her as a “well-known prostitute” since the age of 15. This elicited an objection from Racki who accused Gardner of “victim-blaming.”
Ingalls said she had engaged in prostitution before meeting Joe Johnson, and that she was “rescued” by the detective at the age of 15.
Presiding District Judge Elizabeth Best allowed the line of questioning, but later told the defendant that tactic did not help his case: “I’m not interested in who engaged her in prostitution as a child first.”
The other victim also testified Monday. She explained that while Francisco Johnson was her “pimp,” he learned the trade from Joe Johnson.
Francisco Johnson was sentenced in April to 10 years in prison and 20 years of probation for one count of aggravated promotion of prostitution. He testified at the hearing that he was manipulated by Joe Johnson and the female victims.
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Joe Johnson’s mother read a statement to the court, pleading for her son to be allowed to raise his youngest child, a toddler that she cares for. She reminded the court Johnson had no adult felony criminal record.
Johnson declined to make a statement during the hearing.
Best spoke directly to Johnson after handing down the sentence called for in the agreement. She said Johnson’s statements included in the presentence investigation showed “no willingness to accept accountability.”
The judge expressed her hope that others running human trafficking rings out of other states will take note of this sentence. Best said she would have been inclined to give Johnson a longer prison term, but she did not want the plea agreement to fall apart.
Johnson received credit for 191 days of time served presentence. His $65,000 bond was revoked last month after Johnson admitted to recent marijuana use during his presentence investigation interview.
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The operation was discovered through an Internet Crimes Against Children, or ICAC, investigation.