A woman arrested in connection with a national investigation into alleged commercial child sex trafficking was sentenced Thursday in Clark County Superior Court to nearly two years in prison.
Veronica A. Britt, 26, of Portland pleaded guilty to first-degree promoting prostitution and communicating with a minor for immoral purposes in connection with the sting operation by the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force. Britt was among six people, spanning three Oregon cities and Vancouver, arrested in October.
She initially faced a charge of promoting commercial sex abuse of a minor, but that charge was amended as part of a plea deal. Britt entered an “in re barr” plea to the promoting prostitution charge, which allows a defendant to plead guilty to a lesser related charge she didn’t commit in order to avoid conviction for a greater offense.
Britt was identified as the driver for an underage girl who was meeting up with someone at a hotel to perform sexual acts, according to a probable cause affidavit
FBI agents and investigators throughout the country conducted stings in hotels, casinos, truck stops and other areas known to be frequented by adult prostitutes and child victims, according to a news release.
Britt’s defense attorney, Therese Lavallee, told the court Thursday that her client had only known the victim for a short time and was unaware of any illegal activity. The girl had asked Britt for a ride to Vancouver, so she reluctantly gave her one. Britt dropped the girl off at a hotel, Lavallee said, and was still in the parking lot when she was contacted by the FBI.
Lavallee said the victim admitted to running the prostitution business alone. Britt pleaded guilty, however, because she wanted to avoid risking a potential life sentence if found guilty at trial, Lavallee said.
“She feels duped by the victim,” Lavallee said.
Judge Derek Vanderwood agreed to follow the attorneys’ sentencing recommendation of 21 months in prison and 12 months of community custody. Britt also was sentenced to 364 days on the other charge, but that time was suspended for two years. She must register as a sex offender for 10 years. She was given credit for 16 days in custody.
Britt is not to have contact with the victim, who is currently incarcerated at a juvenile detention center in Oregon, according to the prosecution.
