Sex Trafficking Brings 30-Year Sentence

A 38-year-old Bradenton man was sentenced to a 30-year prison term Monday after pleading guilty to the sex trafficking of minors.

Eric Antwan Bell had lived in Bradenton but ran a prostitution ring from a Tampa apartment, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Bell had befriended runaways and other vulnerable teens, offering to care for them, with the goal of using them as prostitutes, according to prosecutors.

The investigation into Bell's activities was trigered when a 15-year-old girl disclosed to Pinellas County deputies that he had forced her into prostitution.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, Bell offered an apology in court: "I apologize," Bell said. "I accept full responsibility for everything I did. … I accept my responsibility in full."