Federal Charges of Racketeering and Child Prostitution Land “Internet Pimp” in Prison

A man that, according to authorities, was beaten as a young child into joining the Bloods street gang, has been sentenced to serve 14 years in federal prison on serious federal charges, including racketeering.

Joshua Kitt, aka “Metro,” 24 years old, pleaded guilty to the charges in April, and was sentenced on Monday, November 18th, in a South Carolina federal court.

Evidence presented at Kitt’s trial showed that, although the young man was forced to join the gang at only 14 years old, he participated in acts of drug trafficking, robbery, and interstate prostitution of minors, both for his own profit and for the Bloods gang.

The primary federal charge that Kitt faced was because of an internet prostitution ring that he participated in, which was set up by the Bloods. According to evidence presented, as well as Kitt’s change of plea, gang members recruited women, sometimes younger than 18, for the purpose of “posting” them as prostitutes available on BackPage.com.

Members of the Bloods gang would act as “pimps,” managing the financial transactions and their profits, and providing a certain amount of security for the girls when they met their clients. Kitt’s federal charges not only included child prostitution, but conspiracy to commit the crimes with other members of the gang. In at least one instance, Kitt committed an act of criminal sexual conduct with a minor, and also conspired with his fellow gang members to commit the act.

Kitt also admitted to federal charges of trafficking marijuana, and armed robbery.

After he leaves prison, the Bloods gang member will spend 3 years under supervised release.

The federal charges of racketeering and conspiracy were investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.

Federal Charges Including RICO Crimes and Criminal Solicitation of a Minor in South Carolina

Often times an arrest for criminal solicitation of a minor is tied to an online chatroom.  A  Federal Agent, pretending to be underage, may participate in a discussion of a sexual nature and offer to send or receive pornographic images or even meet in person. This can lead to federal sex crime charges, especially when the discussion technically occurs across state lines.

• Did you intentionally offer to send or request illegal pictures or video?
• Was it actually the Defendant who usd the computer?
• Entrapment

Everyone, including tweens and teens, carries a cell phone these days.  Combined with the recent trend of sending racy pictures, there is a new area of potential liability for child pornography.  While interpretive case law is not completely clear yet, under existing law, it remains illegal to send or receive child pornography including nude pictures shared between minors.

Racketeering refers to illegal acts carried out by leaders of an organization or syndicate in which they can be tried for crimes that they ordered or assisted with, without having to actually commit the crime themselves. For example, if someone orders another to kill a person, that person may be charged with racketeering.

RICO offenses can include, but are not limited to:

• Gambling
• Murder
• Kidnapping
• Extortion
• Arson
• Robbery
• Bribery
• Embezzlement
• Money laundering
• Acts of terrorism

The Strom Law Firm Can Help Defend Federal Charges

If you, your loved one, or your corporation has been contacted by a law enforcement officer about federal charges, you should contact the Strom Law Firm, LLC immediately. The Strom Law Firm offers free, confidential consultations so you can discuss the facts of your case with impunity. Contact us today.803.252.4800