A jury found a Savannah man guilty on 19 counts of sex trafficking, including coercion, enticement of minors and possession of child pornography, the Savannah Morning News reported.
Prosecutors said Timothy Dequon Lewis, 33, lured eight runaway girls between the ages of 13 and 17 into sexual servitude, often forcing them at gunpoint to have sex with men he found online, the newspaper reported.
Lewis’ attorney, William Turner, argued that the victims teamed up to scheme Lewis, who was only trying to help.
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“Timothy Lewis is not a pimp,” Turner said in court. “He is not that person. He did not go out and steal these girls. They came to him for help.”
But prosecutor Charlie Bourne said Lewis preyed on the victims’ weaknesses.
“These are children,” Bourne said in court. “These are little girls. These are children he profited from. … He is a pimp and a predator of the worst sort.”
Lewis will be sentenced at a later date, the paper reported.
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