U.S. District Judge Donovan Frank sentenced a 46-year-old man Friday to 33 years in prison for sex trafficking two victims — one of whom was a minor — out of his residence in northeast Minneapolis.
Omar Taylor, a registered sex offender, recruited several young women and girls, at times targeting Native Americans, to work in his illicit massage business. Through force and threats, Taylor made them "perform commercial sex acts in exchange for money for his own financial benefit," the U.S. Attorney's office said in a statement.
Taylor, also known as "Shaka," was convicted Feb. 5, 2019, by a federal jury in St. Paul. He operated the business from August 2017 to March 2018, using Backpage.com to solicit clients by posting advertisements with photos of the victims. The ads offered massage services that would include commercial sex acts, authorities said.
"Omar Taylor is a coercive sex trafficker who pursued and exploited vulnerable victims for his own financial profit," U.S. Attorney Erica MacDonald, said in a statement. "The 400-month sentence handed down today is appropriate in light of the trauma Mr. Taylor inflicted upon his victims."
Attorney Jordan Kushner was appointed to file an appeal of the conviction under the auspices of the federal public defender's office.
"We're convinced that Mr. Taylor did not get a fair trial and we are eager to have a higher court review the case," Kushner said. He declined to elaborate.
