California man sentenced to 9 years in prison for sex trafficking in Alexandria
Merced man coerced two women to travel cross-country for prostitution while facing separate charges in $3 million jewelry theft
A California man was sentenced Thursday to nine years in federal prison for coercing two women to travel across the country to engage in prostitution in Alexandria.
Demarco Raushi Coney-Jones II, 31, of Merced, California, was convicted of coercion and enticement to travel in interstate commerce for prostitution, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Court documents show Coney-Jones coerced one victim to travel from Las Vegas to Alexandria in August 2023 to engage in prostitution. Weeks later, between Oct. 2 and Oct. 8, he coerced a second victim to make the trip from California.
Prosecutors said Coney-Jones carried out part of the offense while he was detained on charges related to the alleged theft of jewelry valued at more than $3 million from a sex buyer of one of his trafficking victims.
At the time of his arrest, Coney-Jones was found in possession of a stolen handgun and an AK-47 assault rifle with an obliterated serial number, despite a prior conviction for possessing an unregistered firearm.
The FBI’s Washington Field Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alessandra Serano and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Meredith J. Edwards prosecuted.