Lorton Gang Leader Sentenced to 40 Years for Operating Prostitution Ring

Justin Strom of Lorton was sentenced today to 40 years in prison for recruiting eight juvenile girls and operating a prostitution ring for the Underground Gangster Crips street gang.

From 2006-2012, Strom, 27, also known as “Jae,” “Jae Dee” and “J-Dirt,” recruited young girls via social networking web sites and at metro stations to earn money through prostitution, according to the United States Attorney's Office. Strom plied them with alcohol and drugs and threatened them with physical violence if they failed to comply as directed.

“Justin Strom created a waking nightmare for these girls. He exploited them through the sale of their bodies and robbed them of their childhood,” said Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli in a release. “Though nothing can erase the horror and hurt the girls and their families have suffered, it is our hope that today's sentencing will help them find a sense of peace as they begin a difficult journey towards healing.”

According to court documents, Strom and others recruited up to 10 high school girls from Fairfax County between the ages of 16 to 18 years old to become prostitutes. He recruited them via Facebook, Craigslist, Backpage, MySpace and Datehookup.com. According to an FBI affidavit, Strom and his fellow gang members not only threatened the girls with violence, but forced them to take drugs if they refused to participate or didn't follow orders. 

“Justin Strom was the undisputed leader of a juvenile sex trafficking ring that spanned nearly six years,” said McBride in a release. “He saw these young girls as commodities and used fraud, flattery and force to lure them into the depraved world of child prostitution. Today’s sentence is both severe and appropriate. No sentence can undo the trauma endured by these girls, but we hope this sentence will help save others by driving would-be traffickers out of the child sex trafficking business.”

Five UGC members and associates have been convicted of sex trafficking juveniles in connection with this case. They include: 

• Henhock Ghile, 23, of Springfield, was sentenced Sept. 14, with 10 years for acting as a driver for the prostitutes.  
• Bodyguard/driver Michael Tavon Jefferies, aka “Loc,” 21, of Woodbridge was sentenced on July 6, to 120 months in prison for serving as a bodyguard and driver in the enterprise. 
• Donyel Dove, aka “Bleek,” 27, of Alexandria, was sentenced on August 10, to 276 months in prison for sex trafficking a juvenile, use of a firearm during a crime of violence for two armed robberies of 7-Eleven stores in Manassas in March and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in Fairfax, Va., which also occurred in March. 
• Christopher Sylvia, 23, of Springfield, was sentenced on August 17, to 120 months in prison for his role in the enterprise.

“Trafficking in humans, especially for the purpose of underage prostitution, is among the most insidious of crimes," said then-special Agent in Charge Ronald Hosko, according to a story on FBI.gov. "And the FBI will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to track down those who exploit our children and engage in human trafficking.”

The case was was investigated by the Fairfax County Police Department and the FBI’s Washington Field Office, with assistance from the Northern Virginia Human Trafficking Task Force.