Utah man arrested for child sex trafficking via Twitter, Tumblr
(KUTV) — A Kearns, Utah man is facing child sex trafficking charges -- accused of forming a relationship with a young teen, and using that relationship to victimize the girl to make money.
According to charging documents, Craig Thomas Defa, 27, met the girl when she was 14 and he was 22, back in 2015. Two weeks into their relationship, it became sexual.
Within six months, that relationship became violent, police say, with Defa physically abusing the child multiple times and forcing her into threesomes she did not want to participate in.
That relationship continued until Defa was arrested for the possession of child pornography in June 2019.
The victim told police that during the last year of the relationship, Defa made and sold pornographic videos of him and the victim online through sites like Twitter and Tumblr.
Defa told the girl she would make money by being in the videos. After selling the videos online, Defa would keep all the money, court documents say.
Defa would collect money for the videos via CashApp. The victim talked with police in March of this year, explaining that the videos she was telling them about were on her phone and Defa's phone.
Police found 35 photos and videos of Defa with the girl when she was underage. Police say it contained imagery commonly found in child pornography.
Defa is facing the following charges:
- Human trafficking of a child, a first-degree felony
- Six counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, a second-degree felony
