Defendant agreed to pay undercover HSI special agent $100 to have sex with minor
BOSTON — A Boston man was sentenced Oct. 10 in federal court in Boston for attempting to pay for sex with a 14-year-old girl.
Dimitri Shawn McKenzie, 29, was sentenced to 126 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release. In June 2024, McKenzie was convicted of one count of attempted sex trafficking of a child following a three-day jury trial.
“It is deeply disturbing to know that people pay to sexually abuse children. McKenzie was ready and willing to pay to sexually assault a child. Thankfully, through our undercover operation, he instead found an HSI special agent and not a real child,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New England Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol. “This sentence reflects the seriousness of his crime and our commitment to protecting children from exploitation and abuse.”
“The sad reality is that children are being sold for sex in our communities because of people like Dimitri McKenzie. These men fuel that commercial sex industry and drive demand. We are actively prosecuting the men and women who traffic adults and kids for profit, but in order to make a real dent in this pernicious conduct, we also have to go after demand — that is the people who are trolling the internet purchasing sex with little kids. I hope that every coward behind a keyboard who is thinking about engaging in the rape of the child under the auspices of a commercial transaction thinks twice — you may very well be talking to an undercover federal agent. Don’t do it. If you do, you are looking at a minimum of ten years behind bars,” said acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy.
In November 2022, McKenzie responded to an online post purportedly advertising two minor girls — ages 12 and 14 years old — available to perform sex acts in exchange for money in the Boston area. The post was a fictitious advertisement by undercover HSI special agents. In subsequent text communications with undercover law enforcement, McKenzie agreed to pay $100 to have sex with the fictitious 14-year-old at a hotel. Upon arriving at the hotel, McKenzie met with an undercover HSI special agent posing as the purported seller in the hotel parking lot, provided cash in exchange for 20 minutes with the fictitious minor, and accepted a hotel room key. McKenzie was immediately taken into custody.
HSI’s investigation was led by HSI New England’s Boston Human Trafficking and Smuggling Unit. Valuable assistance was provided by the Lexington, Waltham, Barnstable, Quincy and Cambridge Police Departments, the Massachusetts State Police and the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office.
HSI plays an integral role in combating human trafficking by working with its law enforcement partners to deter, disrupt and dismantle the criminal networks that engage in it. Special agents use their expertise and rely on HSI’s authorities to seize assets and eliminate profit incentives, work with nongovernmental organizations to protect and assist victims, and bring traffickers to justice. HSI leads the DHS Center for Countering Human Trafficking (CCHT) to advance counter human trafficking law enforcement operations, protect victims and enhance prevention efforts. The CCHT integrates the efforts of every component within DHS involved in combating human trafficking, including criminal investigations, victim assistance, identifying and reporting human trafficking, external outreach, intelligence and training.
HSI’s Victim Assistance Program (VAP) provides a critical resource to HSI investigations and criminal prosecutions. The VAP helps preserve victims’ and survivors’ rights, helps connect them with the services they’re legally entitled to receive and provides them with the support they need to fully participate in the criminal justice process.
If you suspect human trafficking, call the HSI Tip Line at 877-4-HSI-TIP. Callers may remain anonymous.