District of Arizona | Sex offender sentenced to 40 years in prison for sex trafficking charges

TUCSON, Ariz. – Maurice Fitzgerald Alexander, Jr., 33, of Memphis, Tennessee, was sentenced last week by U.S. District Judge James A. Soto to 40 years in prison, followed by life parole.

Earlier this year, a federal jury convicted Alexander after a three-day trial of sex trafficking of a minor by force, fraud or coercion. The jury also found Alexander guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor by force, fraud or coercion, one count of transportation with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, and one count of production of child pornography. At the time of the offense, Alexander was already required to register as a sex offender.

On October 4, 2021, officers with the Tucson Police Department responded to a 911 call from the victim and learned that she had possibly been trafficked for sexual exploitation. A Tucson Police Department detective quickly responded to a local hospital and immediately began an investigation. The investigation revealed that Alexander had trafficked the victim, who was 14 at the time, between August 19, 2021 and October 4, 2021 through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Colorado. Department of Homeland Security special agents and task force agents arrested Alexander on October 21, 2021 in Tucson. A subsequent search of Alexander’s phone revealed that Alexander also coerced the underage victim into taking photos and videos depicting sexually explicit conduct that were later used in advertisements on social media and various other websites commonly used for prostitution.

The Tucson Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Nathaniel J. Walters and Monica E. Ryan, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER: CR-21-02972-JAS-EJM
PUBLICATION NUMBER: 2024-114_Alexander

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For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
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