ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Julius Arline, 31, St. Petersburg, has been sentenced to 40 years in federal prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for engaging in the sex trafficking of minor children.
Arline was also ordered to register as a sex offender and to pay restitution to the victims. Arline pleaded guilty on March 11, 2022.
According to court documents, Julius Arline and his co-defendant, Leslie Reio, obtained, enticed, and housed two child victims in a St. Petersburg hotel room, forcing them to commit commercial sex acts between March 6, 2021, and March 14, 2021.
The child victims, 14 and 15 years old, were rescued after being forced to take sexually explicit photographs of themselves that were used as online advertisements for commercial sex with strangers.
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The two children were kept in the hotel room where they were provided illegal drugs and forced to participate in a number of sex dates over an 8-day period.
After being forced to engage in the sex acts and receiving payment, the child victims were required to give money to Arline and Reio.
A sentencing hearing for Reio is scheduled for July 8, 2022.
“Child sex trafficking is happening every day, and this significant sentence exemplifies HSI’s commitment to protecting children from sex trafficking crimes and victimization,” said HSI Tampa acting Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jennifer Silliman. “HSI, alongside St. Petersburg Police Department, are committed to locating, and recovering child victims, as well as ensuring predators are held responsible for their heinous crimes.”
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Tampa Bay Human Trafficking Task Force, with substantial assistance from St. Petersburg Police Department and the United States Marshals Service. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Erin Claire Favorit.
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