A former Jacksonville business owner has been sentenced to 35 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to charges related to sex trafficking and operating a prostitution enterprise, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Carrollton Levon Jenkins, 36, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III in the Eastern District of North Carolina.

According to court documents and evidence presented in court, the FBI determined Jenkins operated a prostitution enterprise based in the Jacksonville area from at least January 2017 through April 2022. Authorities said his criminal activity spanned at least 51 cities across 15 states.

In April 2022, law enforcement officers executed search warrants at Jenkins’ residence and business, seizing multiple phones. Investigators said the evidence showed Jenkins advertised women for prostitution on various social media platforms and promoted training others to become pimps, referring to them as his protégés.

Prosecutors said Jenkins targeted vulnerable women and girls, using manipulation, threats and violence to coerce them into prostitution. According to court findings, he required victims to turn over their earnings and forced them to engage in commercial sex acts daily.

U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle for the Eastern District of North Carolina said the sentence reflects the seriousness of the crimes and the work of investigators and prosecutors.

“Monsters who prey upon our mothers, daughters, sisters, and granddaughters have no place in our country, certainly not in the Eastern District of North Carolina,” Boyle said in a statement.

Reid Davis, special agent in charge of the FBI in North Carolina, said federal authorities remain committed to holding offenders accountable.

“Children are not a commodity to be traded and exploited. The FBI and our partners will do everything possible to hold offenders accountable who prey on vulnerable people for their own profit,” Davis said.

The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin C. Blondel prosecuted the case.

Jenkins was arrested in April 2022 and at the time charged after authorities said that fentanyl was found in his home and business.

During the search of Jenkins’ business, Car-Key Motors at 1615 Lejeune Blvd., police found:

300 doses of fentanyl-based pills6 ounces of powdered fentanylA pill pressDocumentationElectronic devices