A Canton man has been slapped with a 15-year prison sentence for the sex trafficking of a 15-year-old girl who had been reported missing, federal officials said.
Keion Rowell, 24, was sentenced today after a conviction in September 2023 of one count of sex trafficking of a child. According to the Department of Justice, he began exploiting the girl shortly after she ran away from home in January 2021. U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin sentenced Rowell and imposed an additional five years of supervised release following his prison term.
"Today’s sentence ensures that this dangerous man will be removed from our community for a very long time," Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy said, as per the U.S. Attorney's Office press release. referencing the case's resolution at the end of Human Trafficking Awareness Month. Levy cited the case as a stark reminder of how human trafficking targets the most vulnerable.
Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division, Jodi Cohen, described Rowell's actions as a demonstration of "cruelty and inhumanity." Having profited from the child's exploitation, he forced her into sexual servitude, accompanied by physical and emotional abuse. In the aftermath of the rescue operation led by law enforcement, it was Rowell's phone found on the victim, containing damning evidence such as nude photos and communications with sex buyers, the investigation revealed.
After encountering the minor, almost immediately, Rowell coerced her into prostitution, advertising her services online, and taking the proceeds from the sex buyers he arranged for her to meet. The DOJ reports indicate that Rowell physically assaulted the victim when she failed to meet his financial expectations.
The joint efforts of several law enforcement agencies, including the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office, the Boston and Belmont Police Departments, and the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority Police contributed to the case's success. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian A. Fogerty and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Alyssa Tochka spearheaded the prosecution.
