Attorney General Chris Carr has announced that Virginia Anne Bates, 37, of Forest Park, has pleaded guilty to human trafficking and pimping charges in DeKalb County. As part of her plea, Bates admitted to knowingly harboring and providing a 16-year-old female relative and an 18-year-old female to sex buyers.
Bates also admitted to collecting a portion of the financial proceeds from the commercial sex acts of both victims. This conviction follows an investigation that was conducted by the Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit, which recovered the 16-year-old female in March 2023.
Bates was sentenced to 40 years, with the first 25 to be served in prison and the remainder on strict probation. She is also required to register as a sex offender.
This case first came to the attention of law enforcement in November 2021, when the 16-year-old victim was living with Bates. Law enforcement was called to the residence due to the child experiencing a mental health crisis.
When law enforcement and EMS made contact with the child, concerns developed that she may have been the victim of human trafficking. The child was then taken to a treatment facility, but subsequently ran away and was listed as an active missing juvenile.
Bates maintained contact with the 16-year-old and rented a hotel room where the two victims were expected to perform commercial sex acts.
Bates further assisted in taking photos of the child and the 18-year-old, posting advertisements selling them online, and receiving money from the sexual servitude of the victims.
AG Chris Carr commented on the sick nature of this case, finding it to be wholly unconscionable. He expressed that abuse and exploitation by a family member is just unthinkable.
“This case is a tragic reminder that human trafficking comes in all forms, and it takes all of us working together to identify the signs and save lives,” Carr added. “We’re fighting each day to protect Georgia’s children, and we won’t rest until every predator is behind bars.”
