A federal grand jury indicted two 26-year-old Scranton men late last month on charges they prostituted a minor, U.S. Attorney Peter J. Smith said.
Jimmy Cantelmo and Mark “Koolaid” Matis, addresses unavailable, are charged with sex trafficking of a minor as aiders and abettors, conspiracy and related crimes. The indictments were unsealed in federal court on Monday.
The grand jury charged the pair with using cellphones to take pictures of a girl, who was not identified by investigators, and posting them to Backpage.com in advertisements soliciting sex for money. The two recruited the girl in February 2014 and rented rooms at motels in Moosic, Scranton, Dunmore and Wilkes-Barre through August, according to the indictment.
They bought her condoms and enticed her with heroin and cocaine, according to the indictment. The pair acted as “bodyguards” for her during prostitution activities.
Jimmy Cantelmo is the brother of Sean Cantelmo, a 28-year-old Scranton man sentenced last week to more than 12 years in a federal prison for child sex trafficking.
“The charges against Jimmy Cantelmo and Mark Matis relate to the same alleged sex trafficking activities for which Sean Cantelmo was sentenced,” Dawn Mayko, a spokeswoman for Smith’s office, said in an email.
Sean Cantelmo was indicted by a federal grand jury in August and pleaded guilty in January to taking part in a conspiracy to have a teenage girl engage in prostitution.
Jimmy Cantelmo was arrested last week, and Matis was arraigned Monday morning by U.S. Magistrate Judge Karoline Mehalchick, Smith said in a news release. Both have pleaded not guilty.
“He really just received the indictment today (Monday),” said Frank Bolock Jr., Matis’ attorney.
Efforts to contact Cantelmo’s attorney, Jamie Dench, were unsuccessful.
Each charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a possible maximum sentence of life in prison, according to the release.
Cantelmo and Matis are jailed pending trial, Mayko said.
