A 29-year-old Duluth man faced federal charges of forcing a runaway teenage girl to prostitute herself to help pay his household bills.
Myron Irby was arraigned Friday when he appeared before a U.S. magistrate in Atlanta. The alleged sex-trafficking crimes involved a 16-year-old, and Irby’s arrest followed an undercover sting operation that ended in a Sandy Springs hotel room.
Prosecutors first encountered Irby and the teenager during a traffic stop in Kennesaw in June 2011. At the time, Irby claimed the scantily-clad girl was a family member, but police discovered she was a runaway and brought her to a local treatment facility.
Soon after, authorities said they found Internet advertisements soliciting sex clients that featured the teen’s pictures. She then told authorities that Irby drove her to Kennesaw to have sex with a client so she could help pay Irby’s bills, according to a federal indictment.
The girl ran away from the treatment facility in October 2011 and, shortly thereafter, her pictures again appeared in online sex ads, prosecutors said. Investigators soon arranged a rescue mission of sorts by arranging for her to meet with an undercover officer posing as a client at the Sandy Springs hotel. When Irby arrived with the teen, he was arrested and she was taken to a treatment facility.
Irby, whose attorney couldn’t immediately be reached on Saturday, could face life in prison and a fine up to $250,000.
U.S. Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said the case was another reminder that there’s no “stereotypical” sex trafficking offender.
“No matter how or by whom the crime is perpetrated, sex trafficking is indefensible and everyone who engages in it must be held accountable,” the prosecutor said.
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