39-year-old Michael Pratt, a New Zealand national and the co-owner of adult entertainment company GirlsDoPorn, has made his way onto the FBI's "10 Most Wanted Fugitives" list, a new report from Complex reveals.
Pratt first had a federal warrant issued for him back in 2019, around the same time that he and his business partners were accused of conspiring "to recruit young adult women and minor girls to engage in commercial sex acts by force, fraud, and coercion." The group's scheme allegedly took place from 2012 to October of 2019, during which Pratt earned an estimated $17M.
The accused criminal's co-defendants, including GirlsDoPorn cameraman Theodore Wilfred Gyi and bookkeeper Valorie Moser, were arrested three years ago. After pleading guilty to sex crime charges in 2021, they're expected to be sentenced in early October.
Co-founder Matthew Isaac Wolfe plead guilty to his sex trafficking charges earlier this summer, at which time he admitted to coercing roughly 100 women (aged 18 to 23) into appearing in pornographic videos; he will be sentenced on October 31st.
Last June, producer Ruben Garcia was sentenced to 20 years in jail for the role he played in the so-called sex trafficking scheme; this announced just six months after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by fraud, force, and coercion.
"This was a despicable crime that has devastated its victims," a statement from U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman reads. "The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to combating all forms of sex trafficking. Today’s announcement is yet another important step in our commitment to bring Michael Pratt back to San Diego to face these charges and to seek justice for the victims of these crimes."
After previously offering $10,000 for any information leading to Pratt's arrest, the FBI has upped their reward to $100,000.
"Locating Pratt is a high priority for the FBI in order to stop him from victimizing anyone else," Special Agent in Charge, Stacey Moy, of the FBI's San Diego Field Office shared in a statement. "Michael James Pratt preyed on young women and girls and allegedly coerced or forced them through threats and fraud to participate in pornographic videos. He engages in dangerous and deceptive practices wherever he goes, and we will not waiver until justice is served."
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[Via]