CLEVELAND — Deondre Inkton, a 32-year-old Cleveland man who trafficked 12 women across multiple states for prostitution, was sentenced Monday to 30 to 37 1/2 years in prison.

Inkton pleaded guilty on Feb. 5 to multiple felony charges, including trafficking in persons, promoting prostitution, sexual battery, money laundering and possessing criminal tools. 

As part of Inkoton’s sentencing, he forfeited $16,682 in cash and three firearms. Once he is released from prison, he will be on probation for five years and must register as a Tier III sex offender.

“This was textbook human trafficking — a criminal resorting to violence and drugs to control his victims and profit off their suffering,” Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said in a statement. “My thanks to the Northeast Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force and Prosecutor O’Malley for putting this thug behind bars.”

According to investigators, Inkton was connected to more than 4,000 online sex advertisements spanning Ohio and 11 other states, with 2,000 ads specifically tied to Ohio. Authorities determined he physically and sexually abused his victims to coerce them into prostitution, then collected the proceeds through cash and electronic transactions.

A number of Inkton’s victims spoke at Monday’s sentencing. Their identities were not revealed to protect their privacy.

“I once loved all of me, but now when I look at myself in the mirror all I see is the girl you told me I’d never be,” one woman said of Inkton. “You turned me into her. You made me into somebody that I’m not.”

“He doesn’t care about people. He hurts people. He messed me up physically and mentally,” another woman added. “He told me that he was there for me. He told me that no one would love or care for me like he did, and if you can give him the time that he needs so he can feel the pain that we felt and what we went through.”

Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Jennifer O’Donnell also admonished Inkton prior to handing down her punishment.

“The trauma that you have caused your victims is undeniable. You controlled them psychologically, physically, sexually. Their bodies and their ability to consent no longer belonged to them; it belonged to you,” O’Donnell said. “You forced them to ask permission for the most basic human needs such as eating and sleeping. You preyed on women who were extremely vulnerable. Many of your victims were battling homelessness, addiction, and mental health issues. You isolated them and created an environment where they relied on you for everything. You dehumanize them.

“Mr. Inkton, you are a person who has no respect for women, and I find it ironic that you sit here today having been prosecuted by an all-female team and you’re about to be sentenced by a female judge.”

Inkton’s case was handled by the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office following an investigation by the Northeast Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force, which is led by the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department and coordinated by the attorney general’s Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission. The task force includes multiple law enforcement agencies, advocacy organizations, and federal partners.

“I am incredibly proud to be one of the many law enforcement partners on the Northeast Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force,” Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley said. “Their hard work directly led to this dangerous man’s removal from our streets.”

Ohio operates seven human trafficking task forces under the OOCIC, covering 25 counties and serving more than half of the state’s population.

Suspected human trafficking in Ohio can be reported to the following: 

• Call 844-END-OHHT
• Text “ENDOHHT” to 847411
• Download the END OHHT app on Apple or Android devices
• Submit information online here