Photo courtesy of the Washoe County District Attorney's office.
A local sex trafficker has been found guilty of all seven counts. Claude King (dob 1/6/88) was convicted of two counts of Sex Trafficking, two counts of Living on the Earnings of a Prostitute with Force, Domestic Battery with a Deadly Weapon, Kidnapping, and Dissuading a Person from Testifying.
“This verdict reflects our office’s unwavering commitment to ending sex trafficking in our community,” said Washoe County District Attorney Chris Hicks. “Justice in this case was only possible because of the dedicated work of our law enforcement partners, who pursued this investigation with persistence and skill. We are proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them in holding traffickers accountable and protecting the vulnerable.”
King met both female victims in this case, J.T. and H.M., between 2017-2018. Over the course of a few years, King began to beat the women and eventually start to sex traffic them. A case was opened against King regarding H.M. in 2021 but was dismissed after the defendant convinced her not to testify. The second woman’s father began connecting with Reno Police with concerns about his daughter and was able to get a Human Exploitation and Trafficking (HEAT) case opened in 2022. King was subsequently arrested, and Deputy District Attorney Darcy Cameron was able to get the previously dismissed case involving H.M. re-opened and combined with the new case involving J.T.
At trial, both victims testified and gave powerful accounts of the tremendous abuse and manipulation that King had put them both through.
Sentencing is set for October 15th before the Honorable Egan Walker, with King facing a maximum of 22 to 55 years in prison.
