Wilmington man sentenced for trafficking 18-year-old intellectually disabled victim
PENDER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — A Wilmington man has pled guilty to human trafficking and prostitution charges in Pender County.
21-year-old Dwayne Jackson was sentenced by Judge John Nobles to more than four years (58-130 months) in the Department of Adult Correction.
Jackson will also be required to register as a sex offender for 30 years upon his release from prison.
Jackson met the 18-year-old victim, who is intellectually disabled, online and acted as her boyfriend. He convinced her to have sex with his friends, and later posted explicit photographs of the victim on a website to solicit sex for money.
Over the next two weeks, Jackson created profiles on Skipthegames.com to promote prostitution and profited from these transactions. He promised the victim love and shelter if she made money for him.
“There are people pretending to be friends and boyfriends who will take advantage of young ladies,” Assistant District Attorney Jason Smith said. “They promise socially and emotionally vulnerable girls love, attention, and support. However, these relationships are built on a fiction and will only serve to benefit the perpetrators.”
Two friends of Jackson’s, Demond Conyers and Mackenzie Thigpen, are also charged relating to this criminal conduct.
Conyers’ and Thigpen’s cases are still pending. Their next court dates are November 18th and November 28th, respectively.
