Delaware Man Who Ran Prostitution Ring Sentenced To 21 Years In Prison

WILMINGTON, DE — A Delaware man who helped run a prostitution ring in the Mid-Atlantic region and was found guilty of sex trafficking in 2019 was sentenced to 21 years in prison this week, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Anthony Jones, 38, of Wilmington, was convicted by a federal jury of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of minors by force, fraud, or coercion, and of sex trafficking three minors by force, fraud, or coercion, federal authorities said in a release.

According to court documents, Jones and his co-defendants — Dkyle Bridges and Kristian Jones — ran a prostitution ring in which girls and young women were trafficked throughout southeastern Pennsylvania, Delaware, and elsewhere.

While Bridges was the ringleader who used threats and violence to force the victims to engage in sex acts, Kristian Jones and Anthony Jones helped Bridges run the ring by providing security and reserving hotel rooms, authorities said.

An investigation into the ring began in November 2016 when local police rescued minors who were advertised for prostitution on Backpage.com. A subsequent investigation found additional victims, authorities said.

Jones was also sentenced to 10 years of supervised release and ordered to pay $15,160 in restitution to the victims.

Bridges was sentenced in March 2021 to 35 years in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $53,000 in restitution to the victims. Kristian Jones was sentenced in June 2021 to 20 years in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $15,160 in restitution to the victims.