Former DC Cop Pleads Guilty For Sex Trafficking Two Ninth Grade Girls
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Chukwuemeka Ekwonna, 29, of Glenn Dale, Md., pleaded guilty Tuesday to two counts of sex trafficking of a minor.
Between October 2016 and February 2017, Ekwonna, who at the time was a police officer with the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., engaged in sexual conduct with two girls, who were 14 and 15 years old, in exchange for money.
"Police officers are sworn to protect our communities, not prey on our youth," said U.S. Attorney Hur. "We will continue to work with our partners to bring traffickers to justice and protect our most vulnerable."
According to the plea agreement, beginning about January 24, 2016, Ekwonna worked as a police officer with MPD in D.C.
Since 2010, Ekwonna has used an account on Tagged, a social media and dating platform that lets users search for others based on location and real-time chat online.
Between December 19, 2016 and April 5, 2017, Ekwonna exchanged around 200 text and Tagged messaged with a 14-year-old girl.
Ekwonna offered to pay the 14-year-old girl to engage in sex acts with him on several occasions. They met and engaged in sex acts on at least five occasions, between October 18, 2016 and February 15, 2017.
This occurred in different locations in the Annapolis area, including in motel rooms and Ekwonna's car.
He typically paid her between $30 and $40 to have sex with him.
Messages between the two suggest she was aware that Ekwonna was a police officer.
On January 9, 2017, Ekwonna exchanged around 54 Tagged messages with a second underage girl, who was 15-years-old at the time.
In these messages, Ekwonna offered to pay her for sex acts. They met in Glen Burnie, where he gave her $80 and engaged in sex acts with her in the back of his car.
Both victims were students in the ninth grade at the time of the offenses, according to the plea agreement.
Ekwonna faces a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 20 years in prison.
He will also face no less than five years of supervised release and be required to register as a sex offender.
His sentencing is scheduled for May 10, 2019 at 12 p.m.
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