RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A federal judge in Virginia has sentenced a Mexican man to 17½ years in prison for bringing a teenager to the United States for prostitution.

Javier Flores Mendez pleaded guilty in August to transportation of a minor for illegal sexual activity and sex trafficking of children. He was sentenced Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Richmond.

According to court papers, the 24-year-old Flores admitted starting a relationship with a 15-year-old girl in Mexico. He eventually coerced her to work for him as a prostitute, servicing 10 or more men a night, before crossing the border with the aim of continuing the operation in Queens, New York. They were detained after the vehicle in which they were riding was stopped for speeding on Interstate 64 near Richmond.

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