Federal jury convicts Petersburg man for sex trafficking children

RICHMOND, Va. - A federal jury convicted a Petersburg man today on charges of sex trafficking children; transporting a minor for prostitution; production of child sexual abuse material (CSAM); distribution of CSAM; sex trafficking by fraud or coercion; and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Marcus Keon Ruffin, 36, recruited women and girls, including minors, to work as commercial sex workers. Ruffin contacted his sex trafficking victims online or through other victims, offering them weekly income and, at times, an upfront payment, though evidence showed that he paid negligible amounts compared to what he promised victims. Ruffin paid for transportation, including by train or Lyft, for multiple minor victims to travel to the Richmond area to work in prostitution. Ruffin demanded that the victims provide him with nude or sexually explicit images and videos that he then distributed online to advertise them as sex workers.

During a traffic stop on November 30, 2024, Chesterfield police arrested Ruffin on a state firearms charge. During the arrest, officers located a handgun in Ruffin's jacket. As a previously convicted felon, Ruffin cannot legally possess firearms or ammunition.

Ruffin faces up to life in prison when sentenced on Dec. 16. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI's Richmond Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the FBI's Boston Field Office, Amtrak Police Department, Virginia State Police, Harrisonburg Police Department, Henrico Police Division, Roanoke Police Department, Chesterfield Police Department, and Ewing (New Jersey) Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ellen H. Theisen and Brian R. Hood are prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District CourtLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACERLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. by searching for Case No. 3:25-cr-62.