FLINT, MI – A jury has returned a guilty verdict against the first suspect to reach trial as part of arrests made during human trafficking stings by a newly created Genesee County Sheriff’s Office team.

George E. Huffman, 43, of Perry Township, was found guilty by a jury Friday, Jan. 17 on a single charge of child sexually abusive activity.

He was found not guilty by the jury of accosting, enticing or soliciting a child for immoral purpose and use of internet or computer system to communicate with another to commit a crime.

Huffman was one of the first suspects arrested in April 2019 by the Genesee Human Oppression Strike Team, or GHOST, a task force created by former Genesee County Sheriff Robert Pickell to combat human trafficking.

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Jurors deliberated over portions of three days before coming to their verdict against Huffman, who previously ran for the U.S. Senate as part of the U.S Taxpayer’s Party. He was also identified as a truck driver by police.

Nicholas Robinson, Huffman’s attorney, argued during the trial that police never confirmed his client believed the person he was chatting with on a dating app was 14 years old.

Hundreds of messages read aloud in court between Genesee County Sheriff’s Detective Sgt. Curt Harrington, who played the role of a 14-year-old girl on the app, and Huffman included sexual details and photos.

The third message between Harrington and Huffman stated the girl the deputy was pretending to be was 14 years old. Huffman planned to meet up with the girl and one of her friends at the Red Roof Inn in Flint Township.

Robinson argued Huffman may have misconstrued the age, as he’d messaged back that his last girlfriend was 19 years old and police were the first to initiate the conversation about meeting up.

During questioning by Assistant Prosecutor Jennifer Janetsky, Harrington testified that Huffman provided a fake name in the chat, photos that weren’t of him and showed up in a different vehicle than he originally described.

Harrington also testified Huffman was looking around outside and spotted by deputies performing external surveillance in the wood line near the motel prior to heading toward the room.

Robinson has previously stated there may be some entrapment involved in the operations.

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Janetsky questioned Harrington about whether police are luring people in as part of the stings.

“Absolutely not. We’re making a profile and they choose to come to that motel or not,” he testified. “We have many people that drop off as soon as we say we’re 14, we’re 13 or 15. They go away. George Huffman didn’t go away. He showed up at that door and was arrested.”

On the jury’s verdict, Robinson said: “We are pleased that the jury agreed Mr. Huffman was not guilty on the majority of the charges.”

“We appreciate the work of the jury and look forward to sentencing on this matter,” he added.

Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton issued a statement in a press release Friday.

“Human trafficking comes in many forms and one of the most widely used techniques by traffickers is to use the internet for prostitution with trafficked victims many of whom are under-aged,” Leyton said. “The Huffman case is just the first case and we are ready and prepared to hold the others accountable for their actions as well."

Huffman faces up to 20 years in prison when he’s sentenced Feb. 18 by Genesee Circuit Judge F. Kay Behm.

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