A sex trafficker was slammed with a 472-year prison sentence for sexually exploiting a group of young girls in the Denver area, reports say.
Thirty-one-year-old Brock Franklin was indicted in 2015 for operating a prostitution ring of young girls, many of whom he kidnapped and coerced using violence and drugs into selling their bodies, Fox News reported.
Franklin was found guilty on November 21 in an Arapahoe County court, convicted of 30 counts including human trafficking, exploitation of a child, child prostitution, and kidnapping among many other charges.
Three minor girls and five adult women helped prosecutors with the case against Franklin. The case was brought under Colorado’s Organized Crime Control Act.
“I can’t begin to even explain what he did to my life,” victim Brehannah Leary said in court.
“Reading it today, and speaking and actually saying how I felt, and him having hearing and have to sit there and listen and listen to me, that brought me so much joy and that’s why I came today,” she added.
The convict’s legal team asked for a 96-year sentence, but county officials and victim’s advocacy groups demanded he be put away permanently.
“A 400-year sentence sends a strong message across the country that we’re not going to tolerate this kind of violence to women and vulnerable populations,” said Colorado Attorney General’s Office spokesperson Janet Drake.
“He deserves every single minute in those walls,” Leary told the media after the sentencing phase of the trial ended.
The case also saw six of Franklin’s associates brought up on charges resulting in deferred sentences for five and an 18-year prison sentence for the sixth.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.
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