Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino announced that a Gloucester County woman was sentenced to state prison today for recruiting a 16-year-old girl to engage in prostitution with her in South Jersey and soliciting clients on Backpage.com.
Barbara B. Cantz, 23, of Westville, was sentenced today to five years in state prison by Superior Court Judge John T. Kelley in Camden County. Cantz pleaded guilty on March 6 to a charge of second-degree conspiracy to facilitate human trafficking.
The investigation began in April 2016 when the Cherry Hill Police obtained information that the victim was engaging in prostitution with Cantz. They notified the New Jersey Department of Children and Families, which alerted the Division of Criminal Justice.
The state’s investigation revealed that Cantz met the 16-year-old runaway in early 2016 and invited the girl to live with her at a hotel in Cherry Hill. Cantz was working as a prostitute and urged the girl to meet men with her and engage in prostitution so they could make money. Cantz had the girl place ads with photos of herself on Backpage.com and another website to solicit clients. She also told the girl to advertise the two of them together so that they could make more money. Cantz also asked the victim to provide photos of herself in her underwear, so Cantz could send the photos to prospective clients. She ultimately arranged for them to see men together for sex at various locations in South Jersey, making appointments with up to four men in a single day.
Attorney General Porrino and Director Honig urged anyone who suspects human trafficking to call the Division of Criminal Justice’s confidential Human Trafficking Hotline 1-855-END-NJ-HT.