A Detroit man is facing federal charges after investigators say an undercover operation led them to a trafficked minor and explicit images of a child on his phone.
Thirty-year-old Bryce Silas Patterson has been charged with sex trafficking of a minor, sexual exploitation of children and possession of child pornography. He was arraigned yesterday and is scheduled to return to federal court on April 2.
The case grew out of an undercover operation by the Southeast Michigan Trafficking and Exploitation Crimes (SEMTEC) task force that recovered a minor, according to FOX 2 Detroit. Sumpter Township police assisted SEMTEC agents in making last week’s arrest, the station reported.
In a statement reported by FOX 2 Detroit, U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon called the alleged crimes disgusting and praised SEMTEC's work to hunt down sex traffickers who try to sell our children. Prosecutors say Patterson posted online advertisements for commercial sex that included photos of minor girls, arranged transportation for sex dates and collected payments from victims. A search of his cell phone allegedly turned up images and a video depicting one of the minor victims.
Investigation and task-force work
SEMTEC is a multi-agency task force that uses undercover operations and online monitoring to locate and recover minors and to build federal cases, as the U.S. Attorney’s Office has described in past press releases. Local reporting has documented similar schemes in which suspects posted online ads, arranged travel and pocketed payments for dates (WXYZ). Those tactics - undercover recovery, ad surveillance and device forensics - are the same methods prosecutors say were used in this case.
Charges and potential penalties
Patterson is charged under federal statutes that target sex trafficking and the sexual exploitation of children, offenses that carry lengthy prison terms and possible mandatory minimums. Prosecutions involving child pornography and sexual exploitation are commonly brought under 18 U.S.C. §§ 2251–2260, and sex trafficking of a minor is pursued under 18 U.S.C. § 1591, according to federal guidance. The U.S. Attorneys’ Manual lays out the statutes and procedures prosecutors rely on in these cases and notes the severe penalties and restitution provisions that can apply U.S. Attorneys’ Manual.
What happens next
The case remains in the early stages. After Patterson’s March 23 arraignment, a return date was set for April 2. Before that hearing, prosecutors may present evidence to a grand jury, file additional charging documents or seek detention motions. Court filings and docket entries are expected to provide more detail as the federal case moves forward.
Anyone with information about this case or who suspects trafficking or exploitation should contact law enforcement or report tips to the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s CyberTipline at 1-800-843-5678. Both services offer 24/7 reporting and support; if someone is in immediate danger, call 911.
