Raleigh woman sentenced to prison for sex trafficking, child pornography charges
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- A Raleigh woman was sentenced to 18 years in prison for sex trafficking and child pornography charges.
On August 15, 2024, Brieania Shidae Pinnock, 23, pled guilty to conspiring to sex traffic a minor and production of child pornography.
According to court documents, law enforcement received a report about a missing 12-year-old girl on June 23, 2022. Later that night, officers responded to the Budgetel Inn and Suite in Raleigh for a suspected overdose. They found that the overdose victim was the missing girl. She was revived and taken to a hospital.
According to the United States Department of Justice, authorities later discovered the girl was advertised for commercial sex on two websites. These ads included multiple nude and exposed photos of the victim. These advertisements were posted on June 16, 2022 and falsely claimed the girl was 19 years old.
Investigators said there was another woman involved in advertising the minor for commercial sex named Trinity Sky Alston. Phone messages between Pinnock and Alston revealed they were aware of the victim's real age.
Investigators found numerous images of child pornography, including the images of the 12-year-old used in the advertisements, on Pinnock's phone at Alston's home in Goldsboro and subsequently posted on commercial sex websites.
On March 13, 2024, Alston pled guilty to pled guilty to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion of a minor, and sex trafficking of children age 13 years old or younger; and aiding and abetting. She is scheduled to be sentenced in April 2025.
