Judge sentences Clayton County man to 15 years for purchasing 15-year-old girl for sex

CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — A Clayton County Superior Court judge announced Monday that a man has received a 15-year prison sentence after he solicited sex from a 15-year-old girl.

Gregory Benoit has pleaded guilty to one count of human trafficking by solicitation.

In 2019, investigators reopened the case and continued the investigation.

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According to officials, during an interview, the 15-year-old victim said she was sold for sex by Theodore Browne Jr. and Christopher Weldon over a period of several months in 2018.

During the investigation, investigators found evidence that showed the teenager being sexually trafficked out of two hotels in Clayton County.

Browne and Weldon would rent rooms and plan a time for buyers to purchase the underage victim for sex.

The investigation led to the arrest and indictment of both Browne and Weldon in September 2021.

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With the allegations, the Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit was able to identify Benoit, who purchased the victim for sex. He was arrested on July 3, 2022, in Brookhaven.

Following the investigation, Daniel Horne was arrested for solicitation, statutory rape and aggravated child molestation. If convicted, he could face the maximum of life in prison plus an added 40 years.

Benoit was sentenced to 15 years, with five years to be served in prison.

He will be listed on the sex offender registry.

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“As we have said since the very beginning – we will not rest until all those who engaged in the trafficking of an underage victim are held responsible for their actions. By attacking this investigation from all sides, we have put both a buyer and seller behind bars, and our work doesn’t stop there. While this multi-defendant case is ongoing, we are one step closer to securing maximum justice for the survivor, who has shown incredible strength and bravery throughout this process,” Attorney General Chris Carr said.

In 2019, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation launched a first-of-its-kind statewide Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit.

This is the unit’s first conviction of a buyer and its second conviction to be acquired as part of an ongoing multi-defendant case involving a 15-year-old victim, the release stated.

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