Guilty Of Prostituting A Young Girl, Man Sentenced To 15-years To Life

WOBURN, MA -- Convicted of human trafficking, a 31-year-old Lowell man was sentenced Tuesday to serve 15-years-to life in prison after he was found guilty of getting a 13-year-old girl hooked on drugs, raping her, then selling her sexual services to two brothers in 2014.

A Middlesex Superior Court jury on May 8 found Michael Feliz guilty of: two counts of aggravated rape of a child, trafficking of a child under the age of 18 for sexual servitude, deriving financial support of a minor engaged in prostitution, enticement of a child under the age of 16, two counts of distribution of a Class B substance to a minor, two counts of distribution of a Class E substance and two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a child, according to the Middlesex District Attorney's Office.

After a bench trial on Tuesday, Judge Peter Krupp deemed Feliz a habitual criminal offender, sentencing him to 15- years to life in state prison. If Feliz is ever granted parole, he will be on probation for three years. Conditions of that probation include having no contact with the victim, abstaining from drugs and alcohol and submit to random screens.

Prosecutors allege that in late 2014,Lowell Police Department's Family Services Bureau began investigating a report from a 13-year-old girl who said Feliz, an acquaintance, gave her heroin and cocaine, and had sex with her.

After she was hooked on the drugs, Feliz allegedly forced her to have sex with two Lowell brothers in exchange for more drugs, prosecutors said. Feliz charged his friends to have sex with the girl.

“Human trafficking is a crime that often feels like it takes place far away. However, this terrible crime is perpetrated in our own communities,” Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said in a statement.

“The defendant in this case provided drugs and alcohol to a minor and then forced the victim to engage in prostitution in order to support his drug habit. This is a reminder that there are secondary victims to drug addiction, including minors, who experience trauma and abuse at the hands of those fueled by their need to procure illicit substances,” she said.