PORTSMOUTH, Va. — On Thursday, a federal jury convicted a Portsmouth man on seven charges of sex trafficking, production of child pornography, possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and unlawful possession of a firearm.
According to the Department of Justice, starting on April 30, 2022, 40-year-old Pierre De Romeo Smith committed sex crimes against a 16-year-old girl.
Those crimes included taking sexually explicit photos of the girl and making "her available for commercial sex."
The DOJ said Smith gave the girl amphetamines to keep her awake and took the money from her "dates."
On May 19, 2022, the Virginia Beach Police Department conducted an undercover commercial sex operation at a hotel. That's where officers encountered the 16-year-old.
Smith was arrested in the hotel's parking lot.
Inside Smith's car were multiple controlled substances, including fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine, and a Glock handgun, which the defendant was prohibited from possessing as a convicted felon, according to the DOJ.
Smith faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and up to a maximum penalty of life when sentenced on August 9, 2023.