Joseph McGough

PORT HURON, MI -- A pair of Port Huron residents face multiple felony charges after they recruited a pair of underage girls for prostitution, police said.

The state Human Trafficking Unit announced Tuesday, Dec. 12, charges against 23-year-olds Joseph McGough and Robert Standfield after one of the victims came forward to law enforcement earlier this year.

McGough and Standfield are charged with minor sex trafficking, prostitution/accepting earnings, prostitution/transporting female and conducting a criminal enterprise.

An investigation by the Warren Police Department, with assistance from the Macomb County Child Exploitation Task Force and led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, led police to the girl.

She alleged McGough and Stanfield recruited her and a friend and trafficked them for sex out of hotels in Macomb and Oakland counties between April and September 2017.

McGough also allegedly showed the victim to use the website Backpage and instructed her to post in the "massage" section under a pseudonym to solicit sex.

He then took all the earnings his victim made from the multiple "dates" she had each day, according to a statement from Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette, whose office heads up the Human Trafficking Unit.

Standfield took over McGough's role in the operation during a period of time when McGough was out of town.

Robert Standfield

"Individuals who exploit vulnerable minors are some of the worst criminals we see," said Schuette. "These charges take two more of these alleged predators off the street and demonstrates the teamwork and commitment of law enforcement at state, local and federals levels on this case is an example of how the crime of sex trafficking is being tackled in Michigan. I look forward to continuing this partnership as we continue to confront this crime."

If convicted, each charge carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

McGough is currently being held in the Macomb County Jail on a $300,000 cash/surety bond. Standfield's bond was set at $100,000 cash/surety.

Both suspects have court hearings scheduled later this month.