According to news reports, a man has been convicted of pimping a girl in Fresno. These reports show that Maurice Hunt was sentenced on Monday October 28 for pimping a 13-year-old girl in the city. The case has apparently been going on for quite a while.

Back in August, jurors found Maurice Hunt guilty of six different felony counts. These charges included sex trafficking as well as witness tampering. The prosecution claims that the 35-year-old Hunt forced a runaway girl to have sex with men. He collected money on behalf of these clients, and kept these earnings.

The girl reportedly asked to go home. According to authorities when she did this she was beaten. When Hunt was sentenced the District Judge said that the defendant had taken the dignity of a young girl away. The sentence was relatively stiff, though many might argue that it was necessary considering the fact that a minor was involved. Abuse and sexual crimes are taken quite seriously.

Hunt received a sentence of 50 years in prison for his crime. This was not the only thing remarkable about the sentencing however. Some authorities feel that Hunt's appearances in court were unusual. He made several decisions that were inadvisable at best.

Generally suspects take on a professional legal team. Every suspect has the right to an attorney. It is generally considered advisable to seek one out. Legal services are usually necessary in order to put together an appropriate defense in court.

Despite this, Hunt eschewed these rights and opted to represent himself in the court of law. He showed up in a wheelchair and was wearing only underwear when he was convicted of his crimes. This was not the only abnormal aspect of the court case, however. It was remarkable because of the nature of the crime and the type of charges involved.

Hunt is the first individual to be tried in Fresno for federal charges that involve sex trafficking of a minor. Area residents are probably hopeful that this remains the only example of such a case for some time.