Committee gives bipartisan approval to Sen. Diamond bill to increase penalty for sex trafficking children

AUGUSTA – On Thursday, a bill from Sen. Bill Diamond, D-Windham, that would increase the penalty for sex trafficking children 14 years old and younger was approved by the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee. LD 813, “An Act To Increase the Penalty for Engaging in the Sex Trafficking of Children,” received a bipartisan vote of support of 8-1, with five committee members absent.

“In my years of working with law enforcement and victims advocates on issues of child sexual abuse, I’ve come to understand the devastating impact that these crimes can have on kids,” said Sen. Diamond. “The sentence for these crimes should reflect their seriousness. I’m grateful that the committee saw the value in this bill for obtaining justice for victims and for keeping perpetrators off the streets.”

In Maine, aggravated sex trafficking occurs when a person knowingly compels someone to engage in prostitution, promotes prostitution of a person less than 18 years old, or promotes prostitution of someone with a mental disability or who otherwise cannot understand the nature of their conduct. In Maine, aggravated sex trafficking is a Class B felony, carrying no mandatory minimum sentence and a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. At the federal level, aggravated sex trafficking carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years. LD 813 would make aggravated sex trafficking of a child 14 years old or younger a Class A crime in Maine. Class A crimes carry a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.

“Enhancing the penalty from a Class B felony to a Class A felony, to me, really addresses the trauma that is induced by a perpetrator on a victim. Unfortunately, we know that adverse childhood experiences with trauma can be life altering, and exploitations such as this would definitely fall within that category,” said Cumberland County District Attorney Jonathan Sahrbeck in testimony supporting the bill.

LD 813 faces further votes in the Senate and the House.