Warren man pleads guilty to online human trafficking, sexually assaulting underage girl

A 30-year-old Warren man, who has been convicted of other crimes, pleaded guilty in Oakland County Circuit Court Friday to a long list of charges related to prostitution and human trafficking and is set to be sentenced next month.

James Madison-Cranford is accused of threatening and forcing a teenage girl to have sex with him and others and running a prostitution business that used the internet to pimp out an underage girl going back to 2017.

The case, which has received some media coverage since it was investigated by the FBI, is a reminder of a danger that the Department of Homeland Security has said threatens "our prosperity, our national security, our personal and public safety."

According to the federal agency — which created the Blue Campaign, a national public awareness effort, to educate public and law enforcement to prevent human trafficking — millions of "men, women, and children are trafficked worldwide."

The agency — which has set up two phone numbers, a hotline, 866-347-2423, and a second line, 888-373-7888, to report trafficking — said that last year alone it investigated more than 1,200 sex trafficking cases and made 2,610 arrests.

Several other cases throughout metro Detroit have been reported over the years.

Feds: Detroit man convicted of sex trafficking, child porn

James Madison-Cranford's plea was announced by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.

"Exploitation of a minor is an extremely abhorrent act," Nessel, said Friday, adding that she is "relieved that traffickers are being held accountable."

Nessel’s announcement did not give a specific age for the victim, but said Madison-Cranford created an online account offering "sex with a minor," then arranged for the transaction and took the money that was exchanged."

He also "forced her to perform sex acts on himself and threatened or used violence."

Madison-Cranford pleaded to several charges including one count each of human trafficking of a minor for sexual activity, accepting money for prostitution, transporting a person for prostitution, and conducting a criminal enterprise.

He also pleaded to assault by strangulation and assault with a dangerous weapon, and three counts of criminal sexual conduct in the third degree, which is forced or coerced sex with someone between 13 and 18 years old.

Madison-Cranford, who is set to appear before Judge Cheryl Matthews in the 6th Circuit Court on June 25, is serving a sentence for pleading no contest to accepting earnings of prostitution, and, state records show, previously pleaded no contest to larceny of a building and assault with intent to cause great bodily harm.

Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Warren man pleads to running prostitution business, sex trafficking