NEW ORLEANS — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Louisiana, Eastern), published as received.
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser announced that PASCAL CALOGERO, III, age 59, a resident of Metairie, Louisiana, was charged today in a one-count bill of information with conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor, in violation of 18 U.S.C. ' 1594(c).
According to the bill of information, on between at least May 9, 2017, and June 5, 2017, CALOGERO conspired with others to traffic a fourteen-year-old girl from Metairie, Louisiana. Specifically, J.B., a co-conspirator, met the victim on May 9, 2017 and recruited her to work for him as a prostitute. He required her to turn over all, or most, of the money she earned from prostitution to him. J.B. then created advertisements on online classified advertisement services commonly used to advertise sexual services in exchange for money, through which J.B. received telephone calls and text messages inquiring about, scheduling, and arranging prostitution dates with the victim. J.B. scheduled the time, location, and other logistics of prostitution dates with the victim. Between May 16, 2017 and May 22, 2017, J.B. transmitted sexually explicit photographs of the victim to CALOGERO via email and text message for the purpose of offering and encouraging CALOGERO to arrange a prostitution date with the victim. In addition to engaging in prostitution dates with the victim, CALOGERO occasionally drove her to prostitution dates with other individuals. On numerous occasions, he also attempted to facilitate the prostitution of the victim to multiple adult men by, among other things, transmitting sexually explicit pictures of her to them negotiating prices and arranging the times and locations of the prostitution dates, and providing his residence as the location of a prostitution date he arranged for the victim with an adult male.
If convicted, CALOGERO faces a maximum term of life imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000.00, between 5 years and a lifetime of supervised release after imprisonment, and a mandatory $100 special assessment.
U. S. Attorney Strasser reiterated that a bill of information is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorney’s= Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
U.S. Attorney Strasser praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter, and specifically the FBI New Orleans Violent Crimes Against Children Task Force, which includes members of the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Kenner Police Department, and the Louisiana State Police, with the assistance of the City of New Orleans Office of Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorney Jordan Ginsberg is in charge of the prosecution.
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