Two men from Little Rock, Arkansas have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a 6-year-old girl and admitted to raping her, the New York Postreports.
The men—27-year-old Demarcus George who pleaded guilty on Nov. 10, and 33-year-old Mario Waters who did so the week before—will be sentenced at a later date after their admission cancelled an upcoming jury trial, according to a release. This all comes three years after the child was taken to Arkansas Children’s Hospital for symptoms later determined to be in relation to multiple sexually transmitted diseases in 2018.
The girl then told an FBI forensic interviewer that two men raped her, describing a hotel room with a curtain in the middle of the room and a picture hanging on a wall. Authorities then located the Little Rock hotel which the girl’s mother rented in March 2018. The girl has since been taken from her mother’s custody.
After doctors determined that multiple offenders were involved, both men tested positive for the diseases the girl contracted and admitted in court that they were trafficking the minor.
United States District Judge Brian S. Miller will sentence both men at a later date for the crime, which is punishable with up to life in prison and no less than five years of supervised release.
“The unspeakable crimes committed against this child remind us how vitally important it is to have law enforcement officers willing to investigate and put a stop to these horrific actions,” Acting United States Attorney Jonathan D. Ross said in a statement. “These guilty pleas will spare the young victim from having to relive her experience on the witness stand at a trial. Our law enforcement partners work hard every day to protect children from this abuse, and our office will continue to aggressively pursue those who commit these deplorable crimes.”
