A DeKalb County man was sentenced to two years in prison after he solicited sex from a 17-year-old girl who was being trafficked, officials announced Friday.
Shane Bean pleaded guilty Dec. 1 to soliciting sex from a person under the age of 18. He was sentenced to 10 years, two of which will be served in prison. The remaining years will be served on probation and Bean will be required to register as a sex offender.
The 39-year-old was indicted in Fulton County in January 2022 along with nine other defendants who bought and sold the teenager, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr’s office said. The cases against the other defendants remain active.
An investigation into Bean began after the victim was rescued from Steven Stone during “Operation Not Forgotten 2020,″ which ended with the rescue of 26 children, the location of 13 other children and the arrest of nine people, Carr previously said. Stone was indicted on three counts of human trafficking after he was accused of keeping, transporting and financially benefiting from the sexual servitude of the minor.
Though Carr said Bean did not sell the victim for sex, he still “purchased her for sex (and) will spend time in prison for his illegal actions.”
The missing children located during “Operation Not Forgotten″ were considered to be some of the most at-risk and challenging recovery cases in the area based on victimization of child sex trafficking, child exploitation, sexual abuse, physical abuse and health conditions, according to Carr.
“With our Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit, we are working each day to protect our most vulnerable by pursuing both buyers and sellers alike,” Carr said. “We will continue fighting to ensure that all those who engaged in the trafficking of this young woman are held accountable for their actions.”
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