Former Chch man pleads guilty to sex trafficking charges in the US
A Christchurch-born man has pleaded guilty to multiple sex trafficking charges in a United States federal court.
Pornographer Michael James Pratt, the owner of adult website GirlsDoPorn, had been awaiting trial after he initially pleaded not guilty following his arrest and extradition from Spain to the United States, the
New Zealand Herald
reported.
He pleaded guilty in San Diego on Thursday. In his plea agreement, the
Herald
reported Pratt pleaded guilty to conspiracy to sex traffic and sex trafficking.
He is due to be sentenced on September 8.
Prior to being arrested at a Spanish hotel in 2022, Pratt, 42, was on the FBI’s top 10 most wanted list.
The
Herald
reported the summary of charges states that sex trafficking conspiracy carries a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The charge of sex trafficking carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison and a US$250,000 ($414,000) fine.
Pratt was charged in October 2019 in California with sex trafficking crimes in connection with a scheme to deceive and coerce young women to appear in pornographic videos, the
Herald
reported.
He liquidated his assets and fled the United States in mid-2019.
Pratt was one of five co-defendants in the case. Three have been sentenced to prison, while a fourth awaits sentencing, the
Herald
reported.
Christchurch pornographer shamed in court
His childhood friend from Christchurch, Matthew Isaac Wolfe, was jailed for 14 years in March last year for tricking scores of women into becoming porn stars.
Wolfe had claimed in court that he was effectively forced to go and work for his friend after the February 22, 2011, earthquake in Christchurch.
Pratt and Wolfe met at primary school in Christchurch. While they attended different secondary schools - Christchurch Boys’ High and Burnside High respectively - they remained friends.
Ruben Andre Garcia, who was recruited by Pratt in 2013 and was the male model who engaged in sex acts on video with the women, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in June 2021, the
Herald
reported.
Theodore Gyi, who served as a cameraman, was sentenced to four years in prison in November 2022, while Valorie Moser, the office manager, will be sentenced on September 12.
In May, the
Herald
reported US authorities have moved to seize more than $1.2 million in cryptocurrency from Pratt.