A judge in Denver has just thrown the book at a convicted child trafficker by handing out what may be the longest sentence ever given for human trafficking.
On Thursday, pedophile Robert Hawkins was sentenced to 448 years in prison after being convicted by a jury on a series of charges.
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), it appears to be the longest sentence ever given to a human trafficker in the history of the U.S.
The 44-year-old was convicted on 18 counts total, including five counts of human trafficking involving adults and children, according to a press release from the Denver District Attorney’s Office.
Hawkins was convicted on other charges, including four counts of pimping an adult, one count of pimping a child, two counts of first-degree assault, and one count of sexual assault on a child, the Denver DA’s office said in March.
“It’s believed to be [the] longest sentence ever given to a convicted human trafficker in U.S. history,” the FBI Denver office said in a post on Twitter.
one count of sexual assault on a child, and two counts of assault in the first degree. Hawkins faces up to 400 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections when he's sentenced on June 6th.
— Denver DA's Office (@DenverDAsOffice) March 26, 2024
From 2018 to 2021, Hawkins exploited two children and four adult women.
The release stated.
“Hawkins was preying on the victims’ vulnerabilities, using physical violence and threats to keep the victims under his control, and profiting from the sale of their bodies.
“Hawkins also shot a sex buyer after he dropped off one of the victims.”
In the press release, DA Beth McCann said:
“Like most human traffickers, Robert Hawkins showed no regard for anybody but himself, taking advantage of six extremely vulnerable victims.”
“This sentence should send the message that human trafficking of any kind will not be allowed in any way in Denver and that those convicted of the crime will pay a significant price for it.”
In a post on X, FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek said:
“The FBI’s commitment to combatting the threat of human trafficking will not waver, and we will continue to send our message that these atrocities will not be tolerated.”
A search warrant obtained by the Denver Post said one of the victims described Hawkins as “her master.”
The victim revealed how numerous girls, many of whom were underage, were forced to cook for him.
They were also forced to make money for him through commercial sex acts.
According to the Denver Post, the affidavit stated:
“The girls were required to make a minimum of $500 per day.
“They were also required to make a $5,000 quota to gain Hawkins’ trust.
“This quota was intended to help pay for a fake identification and birth certificate in order for the girls to travel to and perform sex work in California.”
During the investigation, police reportedly discovered that Hawkins had previously been charged by the FBI for numerous counts of child sex trafficking in 2012, the outlet reported.
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