Atlanta resident Dionte Johnson is sentenced to 15 years in prison for assisting in the trafficking of an underage girl at the hotel where he worked. This is a significant development in a larger investigation of a particular trafficking victim.
Attorney General Chris Carr proclaimed, “Dionte Johnson exploited his position as a hotel clerk, assisting in the heinous act of child trafficking.” Carr emphasized the gravity of the situation, warning traffickers that such abominable acts will not go unpunished within our state.
The investigation on the human trafficking in hotel began on Dec. 18, 2021, when Mark Thomas was arrested during a traffic stop with a 16-year-old girl. This triggered a multi-county investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigations and Homeland Security Investigations.
Interviews with the victim revealed that she had been sold for sex by Thomas over three months, starting when she was just 15. Thomas then transported the teenager to Woodstock, where she was sold to Jose Medina Dominguez and Cesar Juarez Oaxaca.
Both Dominguez and Oaxaca have pleaded guilty, with sentences of 10 and 12 years respectively.
Thomas also trafficked the teenager to various hotels in Fulton County, one of which was the Economy Motel where Dionte Johnson worked. Johnson, a registered sex offender, assisted Thomas by providing rooms and shared in the profits from the teenager’s exploitation. Thomas, 38, was subsequently handed two life sentences after being convicted of minor sex trafficking.
Hotels that turn a blind eye or even enable trafficking in their premises are accountable and should be made to answer for these crimes.
Victims of sex trafficking are urged to reach out to the Women’s Rights Group. Our expert team provides compassionate legal assistance, guiding victims through the process of filing claims for compensation for their pain and suffering. We will fight for you.
