Putnam County Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Sex Trafficking Crime

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - James Michael Pritt, 40, of Buffalo, Putnam County, was sentenced today to 10 years in prison, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release, for attempted sex trafficking of a minor. Pritt must also register as a sex offender.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on October 1, 2021, Pritt contacted another man online and arranged to pay him $150 in exchange for the man providing him with a 14-year-old girl for sexual intercourse. When Pritt arrived at the meeting location in South Charleston later that day, he was arrested.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Violent Crimes Against Children Task.

United States District Judge Judge Irene C. Berger imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer Rada Herrald and Andrew D. Isabell prosecuted the case.

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative of the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney's Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:21-cr-200.

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