WCDA Secures Convictions in Child Sexual Exploitation Cases

Defendants Arrested by HEAT Detectives

Two men have been convicted of crimes involving minors. Phillip Laub (dob 12/9/91) was found guilty of Attempt to Use or Permit a Minor to be Subject in a Sexual Portrayal, Attempt Abuse or Neglect Involving Sexual Exploitation, and Soliciting a Child for Prostitution. Timothy Leverette (dob 4/30/76) was convicted of Soliciting a Child for Prostitution and Attempted Abuse or Neglect of a Child Involving Sexual Exploitation.

In August of 2020, an undercover detective of the Human Exploitation and Trafficking (HEAT) Unit responded to a message from Laub. At the time, Laub was advised that he was speaking to a 16-year-old girl. Over the course of the investigation, the defendant would message the detective more than 12,000 times across several different phone numbers and email addresses. The messages became increasingly explicit in nature, and Laub made several statements about wanting to pay for sex, despite thinking he was speaking with a minor. Several meetups were arranged between Laub and the undercover detective, yet the defendant did not follow through. In addition, the believed child would repeatedly stop responding to the defendant’s messages, and the defendant would reinitiate the conversation days, weeks, and sometimes months later. In December of 2021, the defendant messaged the undercover detective, saying he would be coming through town, and initiated a meet-up to pay for sex. While being taken into custody, Laub made several comments along the lines of “I’m sorry,” and that he believed the person he was speaking with was 16.

Sentencing is set for April 3, 2024, with the Honorable Judge Egan Walker presiding.

The case against Leverette occurred on November 1, 2023, after a detective with the HEAT Unit created an online advertisement on a known prostitution website, portraying a 17-year-old girl. That evening, Timothy Leverette contacted the undercover detective, saying that he wanted to pay for a sexual experience. During the text conversation, the defendant confirmed he was aware that the person he was messaging was a minor, and still agreed to move forward. Less than an hour later, Leverette arrived at the agreed upon location for what he believed would be a paid sexual encounter with a 17-year-old. He was placed under arrest and told law enforcement that he had purchased another girl for sex in the past and was somewhat familiar with the commercial sex trade. Sentencing is set for April 11, 2024, with the Honorable Judge David Hardy presiding.

Both cases were handled by Deputy District Attorney Darcy Cameron. While both men acted separately, their actions in wanting to purchase a believed child for sex is the driving force behind sex trafficking of children, because without individuals like them willing to buy children, pimps and traffickers would not be able to sell them.