Georgia Man Convicted on Sex Trafficking Charges

A former stripper accused of trafficking teenagers as prostitutes serving a largely gay clientele has been found guilty of all charges in Georgia.

A Douglas County jury Friday convicted Steven Douglas Lemery, 38, on five counts of human trafficking, three counts of aggravated child molestation, enticing a child for indecent purposes, and pandering by compulsion, the Douglas County Sentinelreports. "It is believed to be one of the first convictions of human trafficking of males for sexual purposes since the charge became law," the paper notes.

Lemery, who will be sentenced later, "could serve between 25 to 50 years for human trafficking and 25 to life on the aggravated child molestation charges," the Sentinel reports.

Lemery, who had worked as a stripper in Atlanta, reportedly contacted teens through Facebook and MySpace, where he often lied about his age, took them into his home in Douglas County, and then forced them into prostitution.

Atlanta drag performer Christopher Lynch, who also lived in Lemery's home, pleaded guilty earlier this year to two counts of sexual exploitation of a child, pimping a victim under the age of 18, and pandering by compulsion. He received a 30-year sentence, of which he will serve the first 14 years in prison.