LANCASTER, PA — In a case that marks a significant milestone for the Lancaster County Human Trafficking Task Force, Louis Fountain, a 34-year-old man from Brookhaven, Delaware County, was sentenced Monday to nearly two years in prison followed by five years of probation. This comes after his guilty plea on seven charges related to human trafficking and promoting prostitution, presented before Lancaster County President Judge David Ashworth on March 29.
Fountain’s arrest in April 2022 was the first operation led by the newly formed Lancaster County Human Trafficking Task Force (HTTF), spotlighting the critical issue of human exploitation within the region. His charges included two counts of trafficking individuals, four counts of promoting prostitution, and one count of living off the earnings of prostitutes.
The investigation began in March 2022 when the HTTF discovered an internet advertisement offering a female for sexual services in Lancaster. Detectives engaged with the contact number provided in the listing, arranging to meet the woman at a city hotel for $260. Further surveillance led to Fountain’s arrest as he checked into another Lancaster city hotel with the 18-year-old victim, who he claimed to have met on a dating site and was purportedly assisting in becoming a model.
This case highlights the pervasive and often hidden nature of human trafficking, a crime that exploits individuals for labor or commercial sex through coercion, deception, or force. The successful prosecution of Fountain not only highlights the diligent efforts of the HTTF but also signals a warning to those involved in such illicit activities.
Assistant District Attorney Fritz Haverstick led the prosecution, with East Lampeter Township and Lancaster County Human Trafficking Task Force Detective Christopher Jones filing the charges. The sentencing of Fountain serves as a testament to the community’s intolerance for human trafficking and its commitment to protecting vulnerable individuals from exploitation.
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