Artesia man guilty of sex trafficking of children sentenced
An Artesia man has been sentenced to 100 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to sex trafficking of children, federal officials announced Thursday.
Vernon Dimayuga (aka “Vito”), 32, plead guilty in February to one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of children by force, fraud, or coercion.
Court records allege that from May 2011 through May 2012, Dimayuga recruited and promoted three children under the age of 18 on the internet to engage in commercial sex acts in El Paso, Midland, Odessa, San Antonio and Killeen.
He was arrested in Artesia in September 2015 and has remained in federal custody since.
Along with the 100 month sentence, a judge ordered that Dimayuga pay a $500 fine and be placed on supervised release for 5 years after completing his prison term.
“The arrest, conviction and sentencing of Mr. Dimayuga for sex trafficking of minors demonstrates that the FBI and our partners in the Department of Homeland Security, El Paso Police Department, and El Paso County Sheriff’s Office will investigate all instances where children in our community are being harmed or exploited,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Douglas E. Lindquist, El Paso Division.
