Man sex trafficked teen, used money on son’s birthday party, AZ officials say
A man accused of forcing a teenage girl into prostitution — and using some of the money she brought in to foot the bill for his son’s birthday celebration — is heading to prison, Arizona officials said.
Leroy Ellis, Jr. was ordered to serve 174 years behind bars in connection with child sex trafficking, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office said in a May 29 news release.
McClatchy News reached out to his attorney June 2 and was awaiting a response.
Ellis met the girl over Facebook, and in 2022 the then-15-year-old went to Arizona, where “Ellis groomed her to start working for him as a prostitute right after her 16th birthday,” prosecutors said.
She turned over her earnings to Ellis for months, and “on at least two occasions, she had sex so Ellis would have money to pay for his son’s birthday party and buy presents,” prosecutors said.
She also was “branded with Ellis’ name and nickname tattooed in large letters on her body, which were seen in photos he posted in online sex advertisements,” prosecutors said, adding that text messages revealed that Ellis signed off in advance on prices and “dates.”
In the news release, Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said the young woman demonstrated “incredible bravery by testifying about how she was manipulated and victimized by the defendant.”
Mitchell thanked detectives from the Phoenix Police Department “who rescued (the victim) from a life of prostitution,” as well as prosecutors “for finding justice for this woman who has been so horribly abused.”
McClatchy News couldn’t immediately reach Meta, the owner of Facebook, for comment June 2.
This story was originally published June 2, 2025 at 2:23 PM with the headline "Man sex trafficked teen, used money on son’s birthday party, AZ officials say."
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