Pittsburgh man facing federal charges for sex trafficking, sex crimes against minors

PITTSBURGH — Investigators say much of the sex crimes Eric Jefferson is accused of happened in his Polish Hill home.

He’s now facing federal sex trafficking charges and sex crimes against minors charges.

He’s accused of forcing several women into sex acts, plus accused of producing child porn.

According to the federal indictment, investigators say Jefferson admitted to detectives that he “pays women with drugs for sex, if he goes without sex, something bad could happen, like a mass shooting. Plus, if he goes to jail and loses everything, he would come out of jail ‘a savage’.”

“Obviously it’s horrifying that this is actually happening, and it’s happening right here in Pittsburgh every day,” Kate Janicki, the Director of Clinical Services with Pittsburgh Action Against Rape, says to hear of an indictment is a relief.

“It’s pretty rare that there’s an arrest because it’s rare that it’s even reported,” she added.

A lot of that has to do with the fears survivors face.

“The survivors that’s are even escaping this are so scared. They’re not trusting of the police, even trusting of us. It’s hard to get people to come to our drop-in center and know we are the good guys, and we are going to help,” she said.

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