Wisconsin man sentenced in sex trafficking of Utah teen; 2nd man arrested

Two Wisconsin men are in custody accused of trafficking a Utah teen for prostitution. One of the men, who pleaded guilty to the charges against him, was sentenced this week.

Two Wisconsin men are in custody accused of trafficking a Utah teen for prostitution. One of the men, who pleaded guilty to the charges against him, was sentenced this week. (Shutterstock)


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SALT LAKE CITY — Two Wisconsin men are in custody accused of trafficking a Utah teenager for prostitution.

One of the men, Jason Jordan, was sentenced Tuesday to four years in prison after he pleaded guilty in October to one felony count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Wisconsin.

The other man, Adrian Edwards, was arrested earlier this week somewhere in Arizona, according to court records. Edwards faces three charges: sex trafficking, transportation of a minor for prostitution, and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking.

According to Jordan's plea agreement, police in Middleton, Wisconsin, were called to a hotel on Feb. 2, 2021, after getting a call that a guest had been staying in a room past their checkout date.

When officers arrived in the hotel and walked to the room, they found a 16-year-old girl alone inside. She told police that in the weeks prior, she had traveled from Utah to Iowa via train and was picked up by a man, who police believe to be Edwards. The two then drove to Wisconsin where "she had been engaging in commercial sex acts for (Edwards) since her arrival," according to Jordan's plea agreement.

The girl told police that Jordan would drive her around and rent hotel rooms, and that Edwards allegedly directed those acts. She told police that Jordan posted an ad online for commercial sex. The girl told police "that she performed a commercial sex act that night and gave the money to (Jordan)," according to the plea agreement.

Police later found an ad placed online from Jan. 20-21, 2021, that included Jordan's phone number and photos of the girl, according to the plea agreement. For his role in the trafficking, Jordan allegedly received drugs from Edwards.

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Jacob Scholl joined KSL.com as a reporter in 2021. He covers northern Utah communities, federal courts and technology.

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