El Dorado Hills Man Indicted for Sex Trafficking of a Minor

SACRAMENTO—United States Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced today that yesterday a federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment charging RISHI SANWAL, 23, of El Dorado Hills, California with sex trafficking of a minor.

This case is the product of an extensive joint investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Sacramento Police Department.

According to Assistant United States Attorney Kyle Reardon, who is prosecuting the case, from March 18, 2008 until March 25, 2008, SANWAL used force, fraud, and coercion to cause a 17-year-old girl to engage in prostitution.

SANWAL gave the victim the name “Amy” and used that name when he posted ads on the Craigslist “erotic services” section. SANWAL took the victim from her El Dorado home to the Bay Area, before returning to Rocklin, California and posting Craigslist advertisement for her from there. SANWAL and the victim then returned to the Bay Area, where SANWAL posted additional listings advertising the minor girl for sex.

If convicted of all charges, SANWAL faces a sentence of 10 years to life in prison, a lifetime term of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables and any applicable statutory sentencing factors.

The charges are only allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

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