Hagerstown Man Sentenced to 16 years For Sex Trafficking of a Child

Defendant Drove Two Girls, Ages 15 and 17, from Pennsylvania to Maryland to Engage in Prostitution

Baltimore, Md. (DG) – A Hagerstown man will be spending over a decade behind bars for sex trafficking of a minor.

Richard Small, 32, was sentenced to 16-years in prison on Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Baltimore.

Accoridng to his plea agreement, in 2015, Small transported a 15-year-old and 17-year-old girl from Pennsylvania to Maryland. He made each girl engage in sexual acts in hotels and kept the money they made.

On June 16, 2015, Maryland State Police received a call from the 15-year-old victim’s father. He said his daughter was being held against her will by Small at a hotel in Hagerstown. Troopers responded to the hotel, and approached Small and inquired about the missing girl.

On June 23, 2015, Small was arrested by the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office while driving both victims to a hotel in Frederick. While he was at the Frederick County Detention Center, Small continued to prostitute the victims with the help of another adult female prostitute who worked for him.

After Small is released from prison, he will be on 10-years of supervised probation.

–Dianah Gibson