State, local partnership protects potential victims by preventing future crime

ATLANTA, GA – Attorney General Chris Carr today announced the office’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit has secured the indictment of Demonte Engle on one charge of Trafficking of Persons for Sexual Servitude.

“Our Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit is proud to provide critical support to local law enforcement as they employ new and innovative methods for apprehending buyers before they reach potential victims,” said Carr. “We understand that to end this cycle of abuse and exploitation, we must work together to identify, locate, arrest and prosecute those who would engage in this criminal industry. We look forward to seeking justice in court.”

This indictment follows the successful completion of an undercover operation conducted by the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office Trafficking and Child Exploitation Unit with assistance from the Office of the Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit. 

The Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit presented evidence to a Gwinnett County grand jury, resulting in Engle’s indictment* on Jan. 5, 2022. The indictment charges the defendant with the following which, if convicted, can carry the respective maximum penalties:

• Trafficking of Persons for Sexual Servitude (O.C.G.A. 16-5-46 (c)) – life in prison

In 2021, the Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit initiated 25 cases, arrested 9 individuals, investigated and prosecuted 51 defendants, and rescued and assisted 107 victims.

*Members of the public should keep in mind that indictments contain only allegations against the individual against whom the indictment is sought. A defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty, and it will be the government’s burden at trial to prove the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of the allegations contained in the indictment.