Two South Salt Lake residents have been accused of recruiting underage girls to give erotic massages that ended in sex acts.
In a federal indictment that was unsealed late last week, DeWayne Eugene Hopkins, 27, and Julia Young, 19, were charged with one count each of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of children.
The indictment alleges the two took photographs of the minors and published them on Internet sites, including craigslist.com, backpage.com and cityvibe.com, to advertise the massages. The couple allegedly rented hotel rooms for the massages, instructed the girls on how much to charge, arranged appointments and collected money for sex acts.
The conspiracy took place in May 2008, according to the indictment. Three girls, identified only by their initials, are listed as alleged victims.
Hopkins and Young were charged last year in Utah's 3rd District Court with running a prostitution ring. In that case, their massage staff allegedly included one 15-year-old, two 17-year-olds and a 24-year-old. They have denied the state charges and a trial is pending.
Hopkins and Young also have pleaded not guilty to the federal conspiracy charge, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Young has been released pending trial; Hopkins remains in custody.
Their case is the first charged by the Utah Human Trafficking Task Force. The FBI and Sandy Police Department participated in the investigation.
