CAREER OFFENDER CONVICTED OF SEX TRAFFICKING, DRUG TRAFFICKING, AND UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF FIREARMS SENTENCED TO 30 YEARS FEDERAL PRISON

Spokane, Washington - First Assistant United States Attorney Pete Serrano announced that James Anthony Stinson, age 55, of Spokane, Washington was sentenced March 18, 2026, to 30 years in federal prison, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release following his trial convictions for 11 felonies pertaining to Sex Trafficking, Drug Trafficking, and Unlawful Possession of Firearms. The Court also imposed $28,000 in restitution to the victims.

Based on evidence presented during the jury trial, the investigation into Mr. Stinson began in 2021 following a series of controlled purchases of crack cocaine. Some of those purchases occurred from Mr. Stinson's hotel room in the Spokane Valley. Based on the controlled purchases, law enforcement with the FBI, Spokane Police Department, and Spokane County Sheriff's Office executed a search warrant on Mr. Stinson's adjoining hotel rooms. They located distribution quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine, crack cocaine, and fentanyl pills, along with multiple illegally possessed firearms, as well as evidence that the rooms may also have been used for sex trafficking. Mr. Stinson had installed video surveillance cameras controlled by him to film the activities in the rooms. Further investigation into Mr. Stinson's phones and other digital evidence revealed videos of Mr. Stinson threatening and violently beating one of the victims he trafficked. Messages on Mr. Stinson's phones revealed his ongoing use of force, fraud, and coercion to force victims to engage in sex work and provide him with the proceeds of the activity, as well as evidence of significant financial gains from his combined human trafficking and drug trafficking operations.

Mr. Stinson was previously convicted in Washington State Superior Court for Delivery of a Controlled Substance (Cocaine), for which he served 132 months and was released in 2011. In 2012, Mr. Stinson was convicted in federal court in the Eastern District of Washington for Addict and Unlawful User of a Controlled Substance in Possession of Firearm and Ammunition, for which he served 120 months in prison. At the time of his arrest in 2021, Mr. Stinson was on federal supervised release.

First Assistant Serrano said, "The sentence imposed here reflects the seriousness of Stinson's actions. Crimes involving drug trafficking and illegal firearms possession are devastating to our communities. Mr. Stinson distributed controlled substances and exploited and coerced, through violence or the threat of violence, multiple vulnerable women to engage in sex work. He took advantage of these women's addiction and other personal vulnerabilities for his own benefit. Mr. Stinson is a violent predator with a lengthy criminal history, and I am grateful for the work of many law enforcement partners whose efforts led to Mr. Stinson being taken off the streets."

"As this investigation into Mr. Stinson progressed, it revealed even more crimes, all of them harmful to the public," said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office. "Unfortunately, he did not seem to learn his lesson from prior convictions and returned to criminal activity, including distribution of dangerous drugs, illegal possession of firearms, and even sex trafficking through force and coercion. This case highlights the importance of the FBI's Spokane Child Exploitation/Human Trafficking Task Force, which was instrumental in bringing Mr. Stinson to justice and is an effective asset in keeping our Eastern Washington communities safe."

This case was a multi-jurisdiction investigation conducted by the FBI Spokane Child Exploitation/Human Trafficking Task Force, which is a partnership between the FBI, Spokane County Sheriff's Office, and Spokane Police Department. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Rebecca R. Perez and Lisa Cartier-Giroux.