Kent Co. man convicted of sex trafficking, exploiting a child

A west Michigan man was convicted in federal court of sex trafficking a child, sexually exploiting a child and distributing child porn, officials said.

Terrence Clay, 39, of Kent County, was found guilty of the three charges by a jury in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan, said Mark Totten, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan.

"Treating his victim like nothing more than property, Terrence Clay repeatedly ordered a minor to sell herself for sex," Totten said in a statement Wednesday. "Today’s guilty verdict on all counts secures a measure of justice for the victim and the entire community, which is harmed by these heinous crimes."

Clay is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 17.

His attorney was not immediately available for comment Thursday.

Under federal law, a person convicted of sex trafficking a child can be punished by at least 10 years in prison if the victim is 14-17 years old or at least 15 years if the victim is under the age of 14. A federal conviction for sexually exploiting a child is punishable by at least 15 years but not more than 30 years in prison. Producing child pornography also carries a penalty of 15 years to 30 years.

Prosecutors said in Clay's trial that he met with an underaged girl at a Grand Rapids park in early 2022. He had sex with the girl multiple times and forced her to have sex with other men for money, investigators said.

At one point, he directed her to panhandle and make a sign to advertise specific sex acts at set prices, according to authorities. Furthermore, Clay secured nude images of the girl and advertised her online, investigators said.

Police found the victim in a library and took her to a foster home in the Upper Peninsula while detectives investigated, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Officials said Clay later found the victim and removed her from the foster home on Nov. 12, 2022, without her foster family knowing.

Shortly after Clay and the victim crossed the Mackinac Bridge to Michigan's Lower Peninsula, police pulled his car over and found the girl with him, officials said.

Clay was indicted in federal court in May 2023. He had been charged in a state court with human trafficking, child sexually abusive activity, two counts of using a computer to commit a crime and two counts of possession of child sexually abusive material. Officials said the state charges were dismissed due to Clay's federal prosecution.

According to the Michigan Department of Corrections, Clay was sentenced in 2017 to a minimum of three years in prison for an assault charge and a minimum of two years for a weapons charge. It also said he was sentenced in 2008 and 2009 for drug charges.

He was paroled from state prison in June 2022, according to the department.

cramirez@detroitnews.com

X: @CharlesERamirez