FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 27, 2015
Contact: James Hallinan (505) 660-2216
Albuquerque, NM – Today in Albuquerque District Court, Sharoski Jackson was sentenced to nine years in prison for five felony counts and also received 40 years due to a habitual offender enhancement. The sentence is to be served consecutively. The New Mexico Attorney General’s Office Senior Deputy for Criminal Affairs, Sharon Pino, tried the case. Sharowski was found guilty in December of 2014 on the following felony counts: one count Human Trafficking (victim a minor), two counts of Promoting Prostitution (Soliciting Patrons), one count Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor and one count Conspiracy to Commit Human Trafficking (victim a minor).
“My office is focused on convicting sexual predators who prey on children, like Mr. Jackson, and we will continue to seek the toughest prison sentences possible in cases where predators hurt our children,” said Attorney General Hector Balderas. “Thanks to New Mexico Attorney General’s Office investigators and prosecutors, a career criminal who preyed on an underage girl is going to prison for 49 years.”
Shortly after the victim’s 17th birthday in January 2013, Jackson feigned a relationship with the young girl and then, along with his co-defendant girlfriend, Tiffany McKnight, he trafficked the victim by posting her on Backpage.com and arranging sexual transactions with the minor and dozens of men. The sex trafficking of the minor child was well documented by text messages and photos obtained from cell phones shared by Jackson and his co-defendant. Recorded jail conversations also detailed Jackson’s multiple attempts to convince the minor to not testify, testify falsely or assist him in disposing of the charges prior to trial. Jackson was convicted on all five counts on December 17, 2014.
Jackson has also been previously convicted of the following crimes, qualifying him for habitual offender enhancement:
- Georgia, 04/26/2005, Theft by Receiving Stolen Property, No. 05—R-49 District Court of Dougherty County.
- New Mexico, 09/25/2007, Trafficking (by possession with intent to distribute cocaine) ash charged in CR 2007-01587, Possession of a controlled substance (cocaine) as charged in CR-2007-004307.
- New Mexico, 12/09/2008, Possession of a controlled substance (cocaine) as charged in CR 2008-1361.
Please see attached for a photo of Sharoski Jackson and background information on the case.
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