Man charged with sex trafficking after meeting 16-year-old girl in Myrtle Beach, pleads guilty

A Columbia man pleaded guilty to sex trafficking of children and possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime in Myrtle Beach.

Alshura Tabil Annessa Frazier, 36, met with a 16-year-old girl who left her family in North Carolina to meet Frazier in Myrtle Beach during the 2015 Atlantic Beach Bikefest. After they met, Frazier and others reportedly had sex with her in exchange for the recreational drug “Molly” and shelter for the night, according to a release from U.S. Attorney Beth Drake of the South Carolina district.

Frazier then brought her to Columbia where he recruited her to perform sexual acts on clients for money, the release states. Frazier had reportedly posted her, along with other minors, on Backpage.com, a site which is known to police to be used for sex trafficking.

Frazier reportedly received 100 percent of the profits made from the prostitution and had transported her to and from North Carolina as well as South Carolina for the purpose of prostitution. Frazier was aware that the girl was under the age of 18, according to the release.

The minor told authorities that “she engaged in sexual intercourse with Frazier when she was 16 years of age.” She also stated that Frazier used a cellphone to video her along with another prostitute engaging in sexual activity with Frazier, the release states.

Prosecutors say that on March 18, 2015, a Richland County deputy attempted to stop a vehicle for failing to use a turn signal and that a stop of the vehicle led to a chase.

During the chase, the car pulled into a parking lot where a female got out of the car with a box and ran; the female was later identified as a prostitute working for Frazier, according to the release.

When the officer was unable to stop the vehicle, he later returned to where the prostitute had exited the vehicle. With the help of citizens, the cop was able to find the female hiding in the woods, who lead him back to where she had hidden the box, according to the release.

“The female told the officer that the box belonged to Frazier who gave it to her and told her to run,” the release stated.

The box held a 10-millimeter Glock pistol, cocaine, crack cocaine and suspected Molly, according to the release.

Prosecutors say the gun was used and carried during a drug trafficking crime.

The maximum penalty for charges of sex trafficking and possession of a firearm in furtherance of the drug trafficking crime is life imprisonment and/or a fine of $250,000, according to the release.

The judge for the case has accepted the guilty plea and will impose a sentence after a pre-sentence report is completed.

This story was originally published March 29, 2017 at 4:34 PM with the headline "Man charged with sex trafficking after meeting 16-year-old girl in Myrtle Beach, pleads guilty."