A federal grand jury has accused a Pittsburgh man of sex trafficking an adult woman, prosecutors said Friday.
Anthony Juskowich, 22, of the city’s Oakland neighborhood was named as the sole defendant in a one-count indictment returned by the grand jury on Thursday, according to U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady.
Brady said the indictment signals how seriously his office takes sex crimes and helping the survivors of human trafficking.
“Human trafficking is a crime that impacts every community in Western Pennsylvania,” Brady said in a statement. “My office will use every available resource to bring human traffickers to justice and to assist trafficking survivors.”
Juskowich’s charges stem from allegations that between January and May of last year, Juskowich “knowingly engaged in sex trafficking, using force, threats of force, fraud or coercion” on a woman to compel her to perform “commercial sex acts,” Brady said.
The investigation that led to the indictment involved the FBI cooperating with police from Pittsburgh’s narcotics division as well as police from Moon Township.
No further details about the evidence or what the investigation entailed were immediately available.
If convicted, Juskowich could face a sentence of not less than 15 years and up to life in prison and a fine up to $250,000, according to Brady and federal sentencing guidelines.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca L. Silinksi is prosecuting the case.
The case was brought forward as part of Operation Trafficking Ends Now, or Operation T.E.N., a coalition of law enforcement, community and nonprofit partners across 25 counties in Pennsylvania.
