A 40-year-old Johnson County man who admitted he sold at least one 16-year-old girl into the sex trade was sentenced Thursday to 13 years in federal prison.
Antonio B. Flemming, of Shawnee, was handed the 156-month sentence during a hearing before Judge Howard F. Sachs in Kansas City's downtown federal courthouse. His prison term, which carries no possibility of parole, was part of a binding plea agreement reached between prosecutors and Flemming's defense.
In July, Flemming pleaded guilty to two counts of sex trafficking a child. His charges stemmed from a traffic stop by Lenexa police in a hotel parking lot in February 2019.
According to court documents, police interviewed the driver of the vehicle, an unnamed woman, who said she was shown "how to prostitute" by Flemming and knew of his work in commercial sex activity personally and with others. One of her responsibilities was to drive him - and the girls he wanted picked up - because he did not have a car, she said.
She also told police she was aware of a second victim who Flemming had brought to cheap hotels in Kansas City near stadiums for the Chiefs and Royals.
Also interviewed was the 16-year-old passenger. She told police that Flemming had picked her up from St. Joseph that night to perform a "massage" that she later learned was actually promised as a sexual act for one of Flemming's clients.
The teenager described first meeting Flemming over the Hot or Not app. Attempting to convince her to have sex for money, she recalled, "Flemming told her that old, rich white men last about five minutes and that his other employee made $500 in two minutes."
The encounter was supposed to happen at the Extended Stay in Lenexa but fell through. She told them she had not performed any type of work for Flemming. The minor was taken into protective custody.
When he was taken into police custody, Flemming had several of the hotel key cards on his person. Authorities also tracked down receipts for rooms he rented out in Kansas City and Johnson County.
Days later, with assistance from the adult woman taken into police custody that night, detectives were led to a second 16-year-old victim. Her guardian confirmed to police that she was a minor, and said she had learning disabilities.
The second victim was interviewed by the FBI. She told them she had met Flemming over a social media messaging platform about one month earlier.
Over the course of January 2019, she recalled, she saw clients arranged by Flemming between five and six times per day, three days per week. She recalled a day at a Super 8 Motel where she made at least $600, "but she never saw any of the money."
She told authorities Flemming took her to get her nails done or gave gifts, including the necklace she wore to her FBI interview.
In addition to witness statements, authorities discovered a web page advertising prostitution that was linked to Flemming. It featured a naked woman called "Lacy," catering services to "mature men," and offered to provide details of hourly rates with a call or text.
Under the terms of his sentence, Flemming is required to register as a sex offender after a successful completion of his prison sentence. Upon his future release, other special conditions bar him from being near places where children typically congregate, creating a social media account or accessing the internet profiles of minors.
