Source: United States Department of Justice News
DETROIT – A Detroit resident was convicted by a federal jury yesterday on charges of producing, transporting, and possessing child pornography, and sex trafficking using force and coercion, announced United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison.
Ison was joined in the announcement by Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris, Homeland Security Investigations, Detroit Division (HSI).
Ryon Travis, 38, of Detroit, was convicted following a 3-day jury trial before United States District Judge Bernard A. Friedman. The jury deliberated approximately 3 hours before returning their verdicts.
“This defendant exploited a child and an adult victim in brutal ways. He targeted a vulnerable woman and took advantage of her for his own profit,” stated U.S. Attorney Ison. “Combatting human trafficking remains one of our office’s top priorities, and we will continue to use every tool in our law enforcement arsenal to combat the sexual exploitation of vulnerable victims in our communities and ensure that predators are held accountable.”
Evidence presented at the trial established the investigation began when the West Bloomfield Police Department searched Travis’s residence in connection with a fraud investigation. A search of Travis’s phone recovered explicit images depicting the sexual abuse of a young child. The case was referred to HSI, who returned to the home in search of sheets depicted in the child pornographic images. When they entered the home, they found an adult woman chained at the neck to a stripper pole in the living room. Subsequent investigation confirmed that Travis was prostituting this adult woman and three others out of his home. When the adult woman attempted to leave, Travis restrained her with a chain.
Sentencing is set for November 23, 2022. Travis faces a mandatory-minimum sentence of 15 years in prison, and up to life.
The case was investigated by HSI and the West Bloomfield Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Sara Woodward and Andrea Hutting.