An Atlantic City man was sentenced today to 20 years in prison for the human trafficking of seven (7) different women whom he compelled by force, threats, and isolation to engage in sex trafficking in Atlantic City and Egg Harbor Township during 2012 and 2013, Atlantic County Prosecutor Jim McClain announced.
Donnie T. Bethea, 32, of the 500 block of N. South Carolina Avenue, Atlantic City, pled guilty on August 31, 2015 before Atlantic County Superior Court Judge Bernard E. DeLury to the following crimes:
1. HumanTrafficking—a crime of the 1st-degree, 2. Sexual assault—a 2nd degree crime, and 3. Possession of a weapon (Stun Gun) for unlawful purposes—a 3rd degree crime,
as part of a negotiated plea agreement with the State.
An investigation by the FBI Lost Innocence Task Force—comprised of members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and members of local law enforcement agencies assigned to the Task Force, and the New Jersey State Police, identified two victims, and led to Bethea’s arrest on August 28, 2013 on the 8000 block of the Black Horse Pike.
Bethea was charged with aggravated assault, criminal restraint, sexual assault, and weapons possession, and was lodged in the Atlantic County Justice Facility on $250,000 full cash bail, where he has remained since.
Continuing investigation by FBI Lost Innocence Task Force detectives resulted in the location of four more victims of Bethea by the end of 2013, bringing the number of female victims to six (6).
Atlantic County Prosecutor Jim McClain reviewed the case, and authorized the issuance of 1st degree charges of Human Trafficking on October 1, 2013.
Atlantic County Superior Court Judge Albert Garofolo set bail at $1,000,000 full cash. Bethea was served the complaints in the Atlantic County Justice Facility.
After the additional charges were preferred, a seventh victim sought by police was located. The victims were all between the ages of 20 and 22, and were from Atlantic City, Egg Harbor Township, Vineland, Sussex County in NJ, New York, and Ohio. The crimes occurred in Atlantic City and Egg Harbor Township.
Bethea was indicted by Atlantic County Grand Juries for crimes against the first six victims on December 19, 2013, and for crimes against the seventh victim on February 12, 2015, resulting in 18 criminal counts:
7 counts of Human Trafficking—1st degree crimes—for causing or threatening to cause serious bodily harm or physical restraint to the victims, in order to knowingly hold, recruit, lure, entice, harbor, transport, provide, or obtain the victims to engage in prostitution,
1 count of Human Trafficking—a 1st degree crime—for facilitating access to a controlled dangerous substance, in order to knowingly hold, recruit, lure, entice, harbor, transport, provide, or obtain a victim to engage in prostitution,
7 counts of Promoting Prostitution—3rd degree crimes—for encouraging, inducing, or causing the victims to become or remain prostitutes,
Sexual Assault—a 2nd degree crime,
Possession of a Weapon (a Stun Gun) for an Unlawful Purpose—a 3rd degree crime, and
Possession of a prohibited device: a Stun Gun—a 4th degree crime.
Today, pursuant to a negotiated plea agreement, Atlantic County Superior Court Judge Bernard DeLury sentenced Bethea to 13 years of incarceration in New Jersey State prison for human trafficking, 7 years in prison for sexual assault, to be served consecutively—with the stipulation that, pursuant to the No Early Release Act (NERA), he must serve 85% of that sentence before becoming eligible for parole—and 3 years in prison to be served concurrently on the weapons possession count. Judge DeLury further sentenced Bethea to 3 years in prison, to be served concurrently, for violation of his probation on another matter that the commission of these crimes represented.
* In addition to the terms of incarceration, Judge DeLury ordered that Bethea be registered as a sex offender under Megan’s Law, that he provide a DNA sample to the State, and be subject to parole supervision for life upon release from prison.
Prior to sentencing Dawne Lomangino-DiMauro, Director of Statewide Human Trafficking Services and the Women’s Center of Atlantic County, read to the court a written statement by one of the victims. Victim ‘H.S.’ wrote, “Every day I had to do what he made me do, and lived as a prisoner. Until he is sentenced and away I will continue to live in prison...I will continue to fear he will find me, beat me and force me to sell my body so he can be rich...I wake up at night gasping for air feeling his hands choking me...I will only feel safe when he is behind bars for a long time...Then I will be out of prison and free.”
Assistant Prosecutor Danielle Buckley, who represented the State in the case, told the Court before sentencing that the State does not charge offenders with human trafficking for every prostitution case, but that in the investigation of this case, “We had force; we had fraud; we had coercion,” for which this statute is intended. Assistant Prosecutor Buckley spoke to the Court of the especially “heinous, cruel, or depraved manner” of Bethea’s actions, and that one victim was “incapable of exercising the mental, physical or mental power” to protect herself, noting that Bethea’s victims included a developmental-delayed woman of “limited capacity,” whom the defendant referred to in his statement to police as, “short bus material.”
This is the first conviction under the Human Trafficking statute in Atlantic County, and the second conviction of its kind in the State of New Jersey.
Atlantic County Prosecutor Jim McClain, who also serves as Chairman of the New Jersey Commission on Human Trafficking, said, “The prosecution of this matter and the substantial sentence called for in the plea agreement demonstrates New Jersey law enforcement’s commitment to fighting an evil that has long plagued our society. Law enforcement in this State will continue to aggressively investigate these matters, and continue to try and educate the public about the true nature of human trafficking and the effect it has upon its victims.”