DEKALB COUNTY, GA (CBS ATLANTA) -
A DeKalb County judge sentenced a man on Friday to 60 years in prison for pimping minors.
The jury returned 16 guilty verdicts against Erik Djon Ferguson including pimping for person under 18 years old and conspiracy to commit sexual exploitation of children.
"Today, the jury and the judge sent a loud and resounding message that human trafficking has become a big issue and will not be tolerated here in DeKalb County," said DeKalb District Attorney Robert James. "We see many children exploited at an early age and enticed into a reckless and dangerous lifestyle of prostitution. Our goal is to protect young people from being exploited by these predators and to prosecute those individuals to the fullest extent of the law."
Ferguson was allowed to make a statement in open court.
"I was never in a prostitution sting. I was not there when the crime happened," said Ferguson. "One of the girls admitted to prostituting before she even met me."
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