A federal jury found a Jacksonville man guilty of using underage “models” to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing pornographic images and videos.
Agents found images and videos of at least two minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct during a search of 49-year-old Thomas Leslie Carr's Jacksonville home, federal investigators said.
According to court documents, law enforcement officers began a human trafficking investigation involving the prostitution of minor and adult females throughout Florida in 2012.
Investigators said Michael Gallon of Lakeland recruited women to travel and work at “parties” and “VIP rooms” as “models,” where customers paid to have sex with them.
During the investigation, agents interviewed several female victims who had been prostituted by Gallon and Carr was identified as one of his regular customers.
Gallon was arrested in October 2013 and a federal search warrant was executed at Carr's residence two weeks later.
Carr admitted to investigators that he hired about 15 girls from Gallon over a three-year period.
He said Gallon called him when he had girls available in Jacksonville and that the two would meet so that Carr could pay Gallon to select girls to take back to his house.
Carr said he brought the girls to his house and paid them for photo sessions that usually consisted of photographing them wearing an outfit, stripping nude and then wearing a costume.
He said he usually tried to get the girl to masturbate for him on video, then he would attempt to have sex with her. He said if the girl was reluctant, he'd offer her more money.
Agents found images and videos of at least two minors, ages 15 and 17, engaged in sexually explicit conduct at Carr's house.
He said he admitted to doing “photo shoots” with each of the girls, and videos depicted him engaging in sexual intercourse with one of them.
Gallon pleaded guilty to sex trafficking of minors and production of child pornography in 2014 and was sentenced to 33 years and nine months in federal prison.
A sentencing hearing for Carr is set for Sept. 21.
Cox Media Group
