A San Diego man has been sentenced to more than 10 years in federal prison after directing a 15-year-old girl to perform commercial sex acts for his financial benefit in San Diego, Phoenix and Tucson, according to federal authorities. The case stretched across state lines and triggered a multi-agency investigation that tracked the victim from city to city.
The sentence, handed down by a federal judge on May 2, 2026, was publicly announced in a post by the FBI San Diego on X. The bureau said Samuel Melvin Cooper was sentenced to "over 10 years" after directing the juvenile to engage in commercial sex acts for his profit. According to the post, the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force investigated the case along with the San Diego Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations.
Samuel Melvin Cooper was sentenced today in federal court to over 10 years in prison for directing a 15-year-old girl to perform commercial sex acts for his financial benefit in San Diego, Phoenix and Tucson. The San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force, of which #FBISanDiego is… pic.twitter.com/Gz7aqJO6DD
— FBI San Diego (@FBISanDiego) May 2, 2026
Federal Law And Penalties
Federal law treats trafficking minors for commercial sex as one of the most serious crimes on the books. Under 18 U.S.C. § 1591, traffickers who cause a person under 14 to engage in commercial sex face a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison. Offenses involving victims aged 14 to 17 carry a mandatory minimum of 10 years, and aggravated circumstances can result in life sentences.
Local Task Force Work
San Diego’s Human Trafficking Task Force pulls together federal and local partners to take on cases that cross city and state borders and to support federal prosecutions. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of California has brought a series of similar cases in recent years. In February 2024, a defendant was sentenced to 12 years for trafficking a 15-year-old girl, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of California.
How To Report
Authorities urged anyone with information about this case or concerns about human trafficking to contact law enforcement. Tips can be submitted to the FBI at tips.fbi.gov, and the National Human Trafficking Hotline (operated by Polaris) can be reached at 1-888-373-7888 or by texting BEFREE to 233733.
