LANSING – Today, James Madison-Cranford, 30, of Warren, was sentenced to 7-40 years’ incarceration for human trafficking a minor, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced. Madison-Cranford is also required to register as a sex offender upon discharge from the Michigan Department of Corrections. Cranford pled guilty in May to:  

• One count of Human Trafficking of a Minor for Commercial Sexual Activity;  
• One count of Accepting Earnings from Prostitution;  
• One count of Transporting a Person for the Purpose of Prostitution;  
• One count of Conducting a Criminal Enterprise;  
• Three counts of Criminal Sexual Conduct 3rd Degree;  
• One count of Assault by Strangulation; and  
• One count of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon.  

In 2017, Madison-Cranford, who is currently incarcerated with the Michigan Department of Corrections and serving a sentence for one count of Accepting Earnings from Prostitution, created an online account offering for sale sex with a minor, facilitated logistics for the “dates” for that minor, and took possession of the money paid to her. He also forced her to perform sex acts on himself and threatened or used violence to get the minor to submit. This case was initially investigated by the FBI’s Southeast Michigan Trafficking and Exploitation Crimes (SEMTEC) Task Force.

“Human trafficking is a pervasive and horrific problem everywhere, and tragically Michigan is no exception,” said Nessel. “But it is also a severely punishable criminal offense, and I am grateful to the Court for handing down a significant sentence in this case. My office, through our work on the state’s Human Trafficking Commission, and in our prosecutions, remains committed to holding traffickers and those who exploit children accountable to the fullest extent of the law.” 

Information on Attorney General Nessel's Human Trafficking Initiative and the Michigan Human Trafficking Commission can be found on the Department of Attorney General's website.  

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