A Reading, Pennsylvania man will spend the next 10-years in a New Jersey State Prison for human trafficking and failing to register as a sex offender, announced Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina.

Investigators learned that 49-year old Michael Tedesco would bring women to motels in Westampton and Mount Laurel to engage in paid sexual encounters, that he arranged, and then he would keep a portion of the money the woman earned, for himsel.

Prosecutor Coffina said the investigation also revealed that Tedesco would also supply the women with illicit drugs and force them to comply with his orders, if necessary.

Tedesco pled guilty in December to Human Trafficking (First Degree), and Failure to Register as a Sex Offender (Third Degree) for an unrelated offense, and now here in February is the recipient of a 10-year concurrent prison sentence out of Superior Court on the Human Trafficking charge, with three years included for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender.

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“Human trafficking is a societal problem, but more importantly, a uniquely personal offense against the victim forced to engage in sexual activity or labor against their will,” Prosecutor Coffina said in a statement. “We take this crime very seriously. It is very difficult to investigate and prosecute, as victims are often terrified or manipulated by their offender against cooperating with law enforcement.  The problem has become more insidious as the ongoing Substance Use Disorder epidemic presents a vulnerability in many victims for human traffickers to exploit.”

Tedesco was prosecuted by Burlington County Assistant Prosecutor Jennifer Weiler and Burlington County Assistant Prosecutor Joseph Remy, who is the supervisor of the Financial Crimes Unit.

In addition to the Burlington County Prosecutors Office, the human trafficking investigation was also conducted by Mount Laurel Police, Westampton Police, and United States Homeland Security Investigations, based out of an office in Cherry Hill.

(Photo Courtesy: Burlington County Prosecutors Office)
(Photo Courtesy: Burlington County Prosecutors Office)
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