VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A federal jury convicted a Portsmouth man on seven charges of sex trafficking, production of child pornography, possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, and unlawful possession of a firearm.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on April 30, 2022, Pierre De Romeo Smith, 40, met a 16-year-old girl.
The same day, he took sexually explicit photographs of her, as well as sexually suggestive photographs of her posed with the muzzle of a shotgun in her mouth.
Several hours later, he posted these pictures of her on a commercial sex website, advertising her for commercial sex.
For the following three weeks, the defendant continued to make her available for commercial sex, according to court documents, with as many as 30 “dates” a night throughout the Hampton Roads area.
He gave her amphetamines to keep her awake and confiscated the money from her dates.
On May 19, 2022, the Virginia Beach Police Department conducted an undercover commercial sex operation at a hotel in Virginia Beach where they encountered the victim.
When interviewing her at the hotel, detectives observed a text message on her phone from the defendant stating he was there. The defendant was observed arriving at the hotel’s parking garage and was arrested. In his car were multiple controlled substances, including fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine, and a Glock handgun, which the defendant was prohibited from possessing as a convicted felon.
Smith faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison up to a maximum penalty of life when sentenced on August 9, 2023.
Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties.
A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
