Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announces that 23-year-old Derek Harris of Buffalo has been sentenced by State Supreme Court Justice Christopher J. Burns to 11 years in prison plus five years post-release supervision for sex trafficking, the first conviction of this state charge in Erie County. 

In October, Harris pleaded guilty to one count of Sex Trafficking and two counts of Promoting Prostitution in the Third Degree. 

Harris admitted running a sex trafficking operation out of the Boulevard Inn Motel on Niagara Falls Boulevard in Amherst involving several victims, some as young as 14 years old. Harris offered these girls on various internet sites to patrons, and then negotiated prices with them for various sexual acts. When these acts were completed, Harris collected the money for himself. 

“This defendant inflicted horror and trauma on his young victims,” says DA Flynn. “Anyone engaging in such heinous acts will be aggressively prosecuted by this Office.” 

Assistant District Attorney Ryan D. Haggerty prosecuted the case.