Attorney General Chris Carr announced that Natasha Bridges, 35, of Jonesboro, has been convicted and sentenced to prison for trafficking a 17-year-old female in Fulton County. The victim, who had been reported as missing from Kansas City, Missouri, was recovered from a hotel in Fulton County as part of a multi-agency operation conducted in 2020. Bridges provided the 17-year-old victim for commercial sex. The defendant also benefitted financially from the sale of the victim.
The Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit has now successfully prosecuted 12 individuals for trafficking this 17-year-old female.
“When we created Georgia’s first statewide Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit, we promised to go after anyone involved in the trafficking of a child, and that’s exactly what we’re doing,” said Carr. “We have convicted 12 traffickers in this case so far, but our work doesn’t stop here. We’re committed to securing maximum justice for the victim, and we will continue fighting to combat human trafficking in every corner of our state.”
This case was prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Kaitlyn (Fain) Salinas and investigated by Chief Investigator Bryan Kimbell and Analyst Tish Murray of the Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit.
Guilty Plea and Sentence
On Oct. 3, 2024, Natasha Bridges entered a non-negotiated plea to the following charges:
- 2 counts of Trafficking of Persons for Sexual Servitude – O.C.G.A. § 16-5-46(c)
Case Summary
In 2020, Chief Human Trafficking Investigator Bryan Kimbell participated in “Operation Not Forgotten,” a multi-jurisdictional, joint operation aimed at recovering critically endangered missing children in the State of Georgia. During this operation, a 17-year-old female was located at a hotel in Fulton County.
Following the recovery of this underage victim, the Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit began an extensive investigation to identify anyone who had engaged in her trafficking.
Among those previously convicted is Bridge’s co-defendant, Denorris Hutchinson, who was sentenced to 40 years in July 2024, and ten men who were all successfully prosecuted in Fulton County as of December 2023.
In DeKalb County, Carr’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit is currently prosecuting a case involving Terry Florence, who is also alleged to have trafficked this same victim and two other women.
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.
Since its inception, Carr's Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit has secured 50 criminal convictions and rescued and assisted nearly 200 children.
The Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit is housed in the Prosecution Division, which also includes Carr’s Gang Prosecution Unit, his White Collar and Cyber Crime Unit, and his Organized Retail Crime Unit.
Original source can be found here.