LANCASTER, PA — A man from East Lampeter Township has been handed a hefty sentence of up to five years in prison after trying to buy sex with an underage girl. The sentence follows a covert operation by the Lancaster County Human Trafficking Task Force, according to a statement released by the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office.
24-year-old Benjamin Gill was caught out in an undercover sting that focused on online solicitation of minors for sex. Gill responded to an online advertisement and began communicating with what he believed to be a relative of a 14-year-old girl. He agreed to pay $300 for an hour with the minor.
However, the individual Gill was interacting with was, in fact, an undercover detective part of the Human Trafficking Task Force. Gill was apprehended at the agreed location, and found with $305 in cash and the phone used to negotiate the illegal transaction.
Gill, from the 400 block of Bentley Ridge Boulevard, entered a guilty plea before Lancaster County Judge Thomas Sponaugle. Charges included patronizing a victim of human trafficking, attempted statutory sexual assault, corruption of minors, criminal use of a communication facility, and attempted indecent assault of a person less than 16.
In addition to his prison sentence, which ranges from 16 months to five years, Gill is sentenced to a further five years of probation. He is also required to register as a sex offender with Pennsylvania State Police for the next 25 years.
This case serves as a stark warning to those who believe they can exploit the vulnerable without consequence. The determined efforts of the Lancaster County Human Trafficking Task Force and the Pennsylvania State Police ensure that those who attempt such heinous crimes are brought to justice.
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