Repeat child sex trafficker pleads guilty after ICE HSI, law enforcement partner, investigation

PORTLAND, Ore. - An Oregon man was sentenced today to 149 months and 12 days in prison, to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release for sex trafficking minors, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations Seattle Debra Parker, Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams of the District of Oregon announced.

Darryl Gartley, 23, pleaded guilty on Aug. 12, 2019, to two counts of sex trafficking minors before U.S. District Court Judge Michael H. Simon of the District of Oregon, who sentenced him earlier today and remanded him to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

According to facts admitted by the defendant during his guilty plea, in the beginning of October 2016, he moved from California to Portland, Oregon. Shortly after moving to Oregon, the defendant met two 15 year old minor females. In or around December 2016 through January 2017, the defendant posted advertisements on Backpage and Craigslist, offering the minors for commercial sexual acts. The advertisements included pictures of the minors both clothed and nude.

This is the defendant’s second conviction for sex trafficking minors. On May 22, 2017, the defendant was sentenced to seven years imprisonment on a state conviction for sex trafficking minors in California.

The investigation of the case was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Portland and San Diego with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service and the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.

This case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Kaylynn Foulon of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ravi Sinha of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Oregon.

HSI takes a victim-centered approach to its child exploitation investigations by working to identify, rescue and stabilize victims. It works in partnership with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and other federal, state, and local agencies to help solve cases and rescue sexually exploited children.

HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196.

Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.

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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and 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.