Conspiracy and Transportation of a Minor Across Statelines for Purposes of Prostitution: Dismissed.

Federal authorities charged a corporate executive with Conspiracy to Transport a Minor Across Statelines for Purposes of Prostitution and Transportation of a Minor Across Statelines for Purposes of Prostitution, two offenses punishable by a mandatory jail term of ten (10) years. The man brought himself to the attention of authorities when he became the victim of an attempted extortion. The man had engaged in a pattern of behavior whereby he would acquire personal use amounts of cocaine on a regular basis from an out-of-state supplier.

The supplier used a young attractive female as his runner to deliver the man’s drug orders. Over time, the man and the runner allegedly engaged in consensual sexual activity on several occasions for which he provided the girl with compensation. The man unilaterally stopped using cocaine and accordingly, stopped seeing the female runner. Once this occurred, the drug dealer and his partners verbally attempted to extort the executive for money.

The extortionists threatened that if the man did not pay in the time, manner and amount demanded, they would disclose his activities to his family and members of his corporation. Fearful of the extortionists, the executive contacted a childhood friend who serves on the State Police. This individual connected the man with agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

An investigation ensued whereby the man aided law enforcement with contacting, identifying and locating his extortionists. Once they were apprehended, all individuals, included the corporate executive victimized by extortion, were federally charged. The executive retained Federal Criminal Defense Attorney John L. Calcagni III to defend him in this matter. Attorney Calcagni teamed up with Attorney John E. MacDonald and the two worked together in the man’s defense.

The initial goal was to spare their client from federal criminal prosecution. After all, he was the victim who reported his extortionists and own criminal conduct to police. But for his actions, he arguably would never have come to the attention of authorities or been criminally charged. When these efforts failed, Attorneys Calcagni and MacDonald advocated for a resolution of this case that spared their client from a 1-year mandatory minimum jail term and being required to register as a sex offender.

They were ultimately successful in this regard. Federal prosecutor agreed to dismiss the charges of Conspiracy to Transport a Minor Across Statelines for Purposes of Prostitution and Transportation of a Minor Across Statelines for Purposes of Prostitution in exchange for the man’s guilty plea to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Cocaine. The man pleaded guilty in accordance with this agreement for which he was sentenced to a jail term of one year and one day.