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Burnettev.State

CourtCourt of Appeals of Georgia
Docket No.A23A0716
DecidedJune 14, 2023
Reporter368 Ga. App. 184; 889 S.E.2d 373; 2023 Ga. App. LEXIS 277
JudgesBarnes, P. J., Gobeil, J., and Land, J.; all concur.
Tags
CriminalHuman TraffickingSexual ServitudePimpingMinor VictimSufficiency of the EvidenceHotel Prostitution
Case Summary

Deauntre Burnette was convicted of trafficking a minor for sexual servitude, pimping a person under 18, and keeping a place of prostitution after a 16-year-old victim advertised sex acts online from a hotel room registered to him and customers contacted Burnette's phone number. On appeal, Burnette challenged only the trafficking count, arguing that the State failed to prove he "provided" the victim for sexual servitude within the meaning of the statute. The Court of Appeals of Georgia affirmed. It held that the evidence showed Burnette facilitated the victim's commercial sex work by arranging the room, using his phone as the customer contact, directing the encounters, and serving as the operational link between the ads and the buyers. That conduct was enough for a rational jury to find trafficking for sexual servitude beyond a reasonable doubt.

Opinion

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