Ex-school counselor who calls himself 'God' sentenced in sex trafficking

A former Reading School District counselor who calls himself "God" was sentenced yesterday to 23 years for prostituting young teenagers and producing child pornography.

Paul Sewell, 49, of Reading, ran a prostitution ring from his home and used the building next door as a brothel. According to federal prosecutors, Sewell would have sex with the girls "in order to test them out," brand the chosen girls with tattoos on the back of their necks as if they were his property, then advertise them on the Internet.

It was a lucrative venture. The business serviced "eight or nine" clients a day. Sewell kept 40 percent of the money the girls netted by performing sex acts. In addition, Sewell took pictures of the girls' genitalia, which he offered for sale to potential clients.

While he was running his business, Sewell was having sex with a 13-year-old girl. He also was the father of 14 children with 10 different women. Many of the children lived with Sewell, along with several women who worked as prostitutes, according to court documents.

Sewell previously ran a car dealership, a bail bond operation, and had been employed as a counselor with the Reading School District. Prosecutors described his criminal history as being "rife with violence." Sewell has previous convictions for impersonating a police officer, resisting arrest, and making terroristic threats.

According to a report in the Reading Eagle, Sewell applied to become a police officer in the 1980s but was dismissed from the Reading Police Academy after an altercation at the school's pistol range. He also worked as a constable in Kutztown and a bounty hunter.

Several of the prostituted children made victim-impact statements before Sewell's sentencing.

Said one: "It's like I had given my soul away in exchange for money… . If it wasn't for me having a [child], I would have killed myself by now. I'm so disgusted with myself."

Sewell pleaded guilty in September 2011 to four counts of sex trafficking and three counts of producing child pornography. In addition to the prison term, he will be required to serve five years of supervised release and pay $52,000 in restitution.