Philly man gets 8 years for sex trafficking 15-year-old girl

A Philadelphia man who forced a 15-year-old girl into two weeks of prostitution was sentenced Wednesday in federal court in Trenton to eight years in prison, authorities said.

The sex trafficking took place in August 2011, when Samuel "Dre" Verrier brought the New York girl into Philadelphia bars and strip clubs, supplying her with drugs and alcohol and ordering her to have sex with club patrons for money, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Trenton.

According to court documents:

Verrier, now 38, didn't act alone: The girl was picked up by Wilbur "Wilby" Senat, 26, in Haverstraw, N.Y., where Senat threatened to hurt her family if she didn't leave New York with him. The two boarded a commercial bus for Philadelphia and went to the house of a 31-year-old man, where she met Verrier and a 33-year-old man.

The 31-year-old and Senat forced the victim to live in a dimly lit, nearly "uninhabitable" basement.

When she refused to comply with their orders, the 31-year-old and Senat chained the girl to a metal pipe and physically abused her.

This continued for about two weeks until, on Sept. 1, 2011, Verrier and the 33-year-old drove the girl to Bordentown, N.J. and ordered her to approach a man in a parking lot, seduce him, and take photos of the encounter for blackmail. The man declined the victim's advances, and a witness called police.

In 2014, Verrier pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp to one count of procuring interstate travel of a person to engage in illicit sexual conduct for the purpose of financial gain. In addition to his 96 months behind bars, Verrier will pay the victim $60,000 in restitution and face a lifetime term of supervised release, which will restrict his contact with minors.

Senat was convicted July 29, 2015, and was sentenced to 15 years in prison May 11, 2016. The 31-year-old was acquitted July 29, 2015, and charges against the 33-year-old were dismissed June 21, 2016.

@mwinberg_