Pike County property owner who pleaded guilty to five counts of sex trafficking of minors in 2019 was sentenced to 13 years in prison.
Ernest Ray was indicted in February of 2019. In the original plea agreement, he admitted to recruiting girls under the age of 18 for sex acts and paid them with alcohol, money and drugs between 2010 and 2016.
According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Kentucky, Ray admitted to driving minors to engage in the acts, which sometimes took place at his home.
Ray was also accused of distributing painkillers, anti-anxiety medications, ecstasy and marijuana. The drug distribution charges were dropped as part of his 2019 plea agreement.