Attorney General Chris Carr announced this week that Dionte Johnson, 30, of Atlanta, has been convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison for assisting in the trafficking of an underage female. These crimes occurred at the Economy Hotel in Fulton County, where Johnson previously worked as a clerk. He is the sixth defendant to be convicted and sentenced to prison as part of a larger investigation that involves the trafficking of this juvenile victim.
“Dionte Johnson used his role as a hotel clerk to further facilitate the trafficking of a child, and now he will spend his next 15 years behind bars,” said Carr. “This conviction marks a major step in our ongoing efforts to end human trafficking and sends a strong message to those engaged in similar activities that it will not be tolerated in our state. We will use all available resources to protect victims, and those who abuse and exploit them will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
This case was investigated by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s (GBI) Human Exploitation and Trafficking (HEAT) Unit and the Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit.
“This conviction is the result of the diligent work of the GBI’s Human Exploitation and Trafficking Unit working in collaboration with our local, state and federal partners,” said Incoming GBI Director Chris Hosey. “Sex trafficking of minors will not be tolerated in Georgia, and we will continue to work alongside the Georgia Attorney General’s Office to seek justice for victims of human trafficking.‘’
Conviction and Sentencing of Dionte Johnson
On July 27, 2023, Johnson pleaded guilty to two counts of Trafficking of Persons for Sexual Servitude in violation of O.C.G.A. § 16-5-46(c).
A Fulton County Superior Court Judge sentenced the defendant to 25 years, with the first 15 years to be served in prison and the remainder on strict probation. Johnson is also required to register as a sex offender.
This case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant Attorney General Hannah Palmquist, who leads the Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit.
Prior Arrest and Indictment of Dionte Johnson
Throughout the course of a larger investigation, Analyst Umniah Al Bayati with the Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit found evidence to suggest that a hotel clerk had assisted in the trafficking of an underage victim. After further analysis by the agency’s HEAT Unit, the GBI arrested and charged Dionte Johnson on Feb. 14, 2023.
In his role with the Economy Hotel, Johnson provided the rooms in which the trafficking occurred. He also solicited the underage victim for sex.
Johnson was subsequently indicted in Fulton County on March 20, 2023.
Larger Case Summary
On Dec. 18, 2021, a traffic stop was conducted on a vehicle driven by Mark Thomas in Cherokee County, and a 16-year-old female was located in the passenger seat. Following this traffic stop, the GBI’s HEAT Unit and Homeland Security Investigations Atlanta Field Office launched a multi-county investigation in partnership with the Cherokee County District Attorney’s Office, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, the Hall County Sheriff’s Office and the Georgia Department of Public Safety’s SWAT Team.
The minor female disclosed that she had been sold for sex by Mark Thomas for approximately three months beginning in September 2021 when she was 15 years old. In part, Thomas drove the child to Woodstock, Georgia, to be sold to Jose Medina Dominguez and Cesar Juarez Oaxaca. These three men were subsequently indicted in Cherokee County on Oct. 10, 2022. Each of them has since pleaded guilty and been sentenced to prison.
Mark Thomas also sold the child for sex along Fulton Industrial Boulevard and in surrounding hotels. Cedric Johnson assisted Mark Thomas, including receiving a portion of the financial proceeds from the sale of the underage victim. Ruben Tolentino purchased the child for sex. These three men were subsequently indicted in Fulton County on Oct. 17, 2023. Each of them has since pleaded guilty and been sentenced to prison.
Details about each of these prior convictions and sentences are included below.
On May 5, 2023, Jose Medina Dominguez pleaded guilty to one count of Trafficking of Persons for Sexual Servitude and one count of Statutory Rape in Cherokee County Superior Court. He was sentenced to 25 years, with 10 years to be served in prison.
On May 5, 2023, Cesar Juarez Oaxaca pleaded guilty to one count of Trafficking of Persons for Sexual Servitude in Cherokee County Superior Court. He was sentenced to 25 years, with 12 years to be served in prison.
On May 5, 2023, Ruben Tolentino pleaded guilty to one count of Trafficking of Persons for Sexual Servitude in Fulton County Superior Court. He was sentenced to 25 years, with seven years to be served in prison.
On May 5, 2023, Cedric Johnson pleaded guilty to one count of Trafficking of Persons for Sexual Servitude in Fulton County Superior Court. He was sentenced 25 years, with 13 years to be served in prison.
On May 19, 2023, Mark Thomas pleaded guilty to six counts of Trafficking of Persons for Sexual Servitude, two counts of Battery, one count of Aggravated Assault, one count of Child Molestation, one count of Aggravated Child Molestation, and one count of Cruelty to Children in the First Degree in Fulton County Superior Court. He was sentenced to life in prison.
On May 25, 2023, Mark Thomas pleaded guilty to two counts of Trafficking of Persons for Sexual Servitude in Cherokee County Superior Court. He was sentenced to life in prison. The Fulton and Cherokee County sentences will be served concurrently.
About the Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit
In 2019, with the support of Governor Brian Kemp, First Lady Marty Kemp and leaders in the Georgia General Assembly, Attorney General Chris Carr created the first-of-its-kind statewide Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit.
Last year, the Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit led and assisted 33 case investigations and rescued and assisted 116 victims.
Thus far, the Unit has obtained 23 new convictions in 2023, all of which have included prison sentences.
The Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit has 38 defendants who are currently under indictment for sex or labor trafficking, with some facing charges in multiple jurisdictions around the state.
The Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit is housed in the Prosecution Division, which also includes Carr’s Gang Prosecution Unit and his Public Integrity and White Collar Crime Unit.
