Executive Summary
- Billy Ray Wiley was sentenced to 40 years in prison for sex trafficking and criminal sexual conduct.
- The convictions stem from assaults on a 14-year-old girl and a 20-year-old woman in Mahtomedi, Minnesota.
- Judge Juanita Freeman issued consecutive sentences citing the victims’ vulnerability.
- Co-defendant Michael Lewis previously received a probation sentence for his role.
- The investigation was led by the East Metro Human Trafficking Task Force.
MAHTOMEDI, Minn. – A Minneapolis man was sentenced to 40 years in prison on Friday for the sex trafficking and sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl and a 20-year-old woman, concluding a case that prosecutors said highlighted a pattern of preying on vulnerable victims.
Judge Juanita Freeman of the Washington County District Court handed down consecutive sentences to 52-year-old Billy Ray Wiley. A jury convicted Wiley in November of two counts of sex trafficking and one count each of first- and third-degree criminal sexual conduct. According to court officials, the prosecution successfully argued for an upward departure from state sentencing guidelines, citing the presence of multiple victims and their distinct vulnerability.
During the sentencing hearing, Judge Freeman addressed the severity of the crimes. “The trauma that these young ladies experienced at Mr. Wiley’s hands is considerable,” Freeman stated. Prosecutors detailed that Wiley solicited women and girls in the Twin Cities area, offering rides, drugs, or money before transporting them to an accomplice’s apartment in Mahtomedi where the assaults occurred.
The investigation was triggered on June 30 when officers responded to a disturbance at the Piccadilly Square Apartments. According to the criminal complaint, a 14-year-old girl was found screaming in the parking lot, appearing “clearly intoxicated.” The victim later testified that Wiley had provided her with crack cocaine and transported her to the apartment, where she was sexually and physically assaulted by Wiley and a co-defendant.
Evidence presented at trial also linked Wiley to a June 13 assault of a 20-year-old woman. The woman reported to St. Paul police that Wiley picked her up at a bus stop and took her to the Mahtomedi apartment, where he assaulted her and recorded the act on his phone. Investigators recovered the video footage, which corroborated the victim’s account. The co-defendant, Michael Lewis, 69, was sentenced in January to 15 years of probation after pleading guilty to third-degree criminal sexual conduct.
It is important to note that under the U.S. justice system, all individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, a burden of proof that was met in this case through the jury’s verdict.
Judicial Sentencing Analysis
This sentencing represents a significant judicial response to sex trafficking operations that exploit chemical dependency and youth. By applying consecutive rather than concurrent sentences, the court emphasized the separate nature of the harm inflicted on each victim. The case also illustrates the critical role of multi-jurisdictional cooperation, led here by the East Metro Human Trafficking Task Force, in connecting disparate incidents across city lines to dismantle trafficking operations and secure substantial prison terms for perpetrators.
