A Denver judge handed what might be the longest sentence ever given to a human trafficker in the history of the U.S., the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said Thursday.
Robert Hawkins was sentenced to 448 years in prison Thursday after being convicted by a jury on a series of charges, including human trafficking, according to a Denver District Attorney’s Office press release. The 44-year-old was convicted on 18 counts total, including five counts of human trafficking.
He was convicted on other charges, including four counts of pimping an adult, one count of pimping a child, two counts of first-degree assault, and one count of sexual assault on a child, the Denver DA’s office said in March.
“It’s believed to be [the] longest sentence ever given to a convicted human trafficker in U.S. history,” the FBI Denver office said in a post on Twitter. (RELATED: ‘I’m Okay With It’: Donald Trump Says He Is Prepared For Jail Sentence).
Denver judge sentences man to 448 years in human trafficking case; 2 victims were juveniles. It’s believed to be longest sentence ever given to a convicted human trafficker in U.S. history. #FBIDenver worked with @DenverPolice & @DenverDAsOffice https://t.co/1IpmbdtORu pic.twitter.com/eF4cmL7I6M
— FBI Denver (@FBIDenver) June 7, 2024
From 2018 to 2021, Hawkins exploited two children and four adult women, “preying on the victims’ vulnerabilities, using physical violence and threats to keep the victims under his control, and profiting from the sale of their bodies,” the release stated. “Hawkins also shot a sex buyer after he dropped off one of the victims.”
“Like most human traffickers, Robert Hawkins showed no regard for anybody but himself, taking advantage of six extremely vulnerable victims,” DA Beth McCann said in the press release. “This sentence should send the message that human trafficking of any kind will not be allowed in any way in Denver, and that those convicted of the crime will pay a significant price for it.”
“The FBI’s commitment to combatting the threat of human trafficking will not waver, and we will continue to send our message that these atrocities will not be tolerated,” FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek said on X.
A search warrant obtained by the Denver Post said one of the victims described Hawkins as “her master” and revealed how numerous girls were forced to cook for him and make money for him through commercial sex acts.
“The girls were required to make a minimum of $500 per day,” the affidavit stated, according to the Denver Post. “They were also required to make a $5,000 quota to gain Hawkins’ trust. This quota was intended to help pay for a fake identification and birth certificate in order for the girls to travel to and perform sex work in California.”
During the investigation, police reportedly discovered that Hawkins had previously been charged by the FBI for numerous counts of child sex trafficking in 2012, the outlet reported.
