A federal jury in the Southern District of Florida has convicted Shannima Yuantrell Session, also known as Shalamar, 47, of Lake Placid, Florida, on 13 charges related to sex trafficking nearly a dozen women and girls. The verdict follows a nine-day trial where evidence revealed Session's exploitation of vulnerable women and girls between 2011 and 2019 through coercion, violence, and manipulation.
Session lured victims with false promises of work and housing assistance, particularly targeting women struggling with unstable living conditions and substance abuse. Once under his control, Session forced the victims into commercial sex acts in places such as migrant housing and orange groves. In some cases, he withheld food and shelter to coerce compliance, while in others, he resorted to extreme violence, including physical assaults and threats with a firearm.
"The defendant used despicable and horrific means to terrify and coerce nearly a dozen women and girls to engage in commercial sex," said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, commending the bravery of the victims who cooperated with law enforcement.
Evidence presented at trial highlighted instances of extreme physical abuse, including beatings with a baseball bat and metal objects, choking victims until they lost consciousness, and holding their heads underwater while threatening to drown them. Session also exploited the victims' drug dependencies, supplying cocaine and methamphetamine to maintain control over them.
"This verdict is a step towards justice for the nearly dozen victims who were forced by Shannima Yuantrell Session into sex trafficking and endured his reign of horrendous and abusive control," said Jeffrey B. Veltri, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Miami Field Office.
Session is scheduled for sentencing on Dec. 19, where he faces a minimum of 15 years to life in prison, along with mandatory restitution.
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