MICHIGAN
A federal judge on Wednesday sentenced David Q. Givhan, aka “Premier,” 35, of Kalamazoo, Michigan, to 19 years and seven months in prison.
Givhan was convicted by a jury of one count of sex trafficking and three counts of interstate transportation for prostitution.
“The defendant sexually exploited young women for his own profit,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Tom Wheeler. “When they refused he sexually assaulted them and when they fled he found them and brought them back. There is no place for this type of conduct in civilized society. This sentence sends a clear message that the Justice Department will work tirelessly to hold traffickers accountable for their crimes.”
“Forcible sex trafficking is effectively a form of modern-day slavery,” said U.S. Attorney John E. Kuhn Jr. “The defendant’s victims were vulnerable women, whom he terrorized by violence, threats, and other coercions. Today’s sentence should be a strong message that sex trafficking will be vigorously prosecuted by my office and the Department of Justice.”
According to the evidence, Givhan prostituted three women for his profit at various times between October 2014 and April 2015. He took them from Michigan to Kentucky and other states for the purpose of prostitution.
He used force, fraud and coercion to compel one of the women to prostitute for him between October 2014 and March 2015. He initially recruited the woman – a single mother of three – using false promises of steady income and a better life.
However, once she began earning money, he kept it all. Givhan required her to earn $1,000 a day and beat other women in front of her. Givhan also required her to tattoo his alias, “Premier,” on her neck and threatened to hurt or kill her or her family if she refused to continue prostituting for him.
Givhan also required her to tattoo his alias, “Premier,” on her neck and threatened to hurt or kill her or her family if she refused to continue prostituting for him.
When she objected to his demand that she perform particular acts for customers, he sexually assaulted her. At one point, the woman tried to leave Givhan, but he found her and brought her back.
On a trip to Florida, he compelled her to continue prostituting for his profit, even after she sought medical attention for severe pain and bleeding. Shortly thereafter, she managed to escape by enlisting the help of a hotel clerk and her mother.
After deliberating for under five hours, the jury found the defendant guilty on all four counts on Dec. 13, 2016. A fifth count was dismissed during trial.