Trenton man sentenced to 22 years for human trafficking
According to the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, Mitchell was first arrested by Trenton police in January 2017 on human trafficking charges but was released pending trial.
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Al-Tariq Mitchell, 28, was sentenced Monday to 22 years in New Jersey state prison for his role in a human trafficking operation that forced multiple girls between the ages of 12 and 16 into prostitution in 2017.
Mitchell pleaded guilty in June 2024, shortly after his jury trial began, to one count of aggravated sexual assault, two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, one count of advertising commercial sex abuse of a minor and one count of witness tampering.
According to the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, Mitchell was first arrested by Trenton police in January 2017 on human trafficking charges but was released pending trial. He was rearrested in May 2017 after authorities say he committed additional child trafficking offenses.
Investigators said Mitchell used Backpage.com to advertise the victims, provided a cell phone to one 16-year-old to post ads and rented motel rooms. Prosecutors said in separate incidents, he held a 12-year-old against her will and forced her to have sex with him and others, threatened and sexually assaulted a 15-year-old, took nude photos of her for ads and kept the proceeds from her encounters. He was also charged with assaulting a 15-year-old runaway at a Trenton prostitution house.
Mitchell, sentenced May 12, must serve at least 15 years before becoming eligible for parole. He was also ordered to register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law and will be subject to parole supervision for life.
His co-defendant, Daquan Patton, pleaded guilty to promoting prostitution and is scheduled to be sentenced May 29.
