Mom takes bribe from yacht owner to sex traffic her young daughter, Virginia cops say

A Virginia man remains in jail without bail after allegedly trying to sex traffic a teen girl, whose mom is accused of setting it up, according to police and media reports.

The attorney for 53-year-old William “Billy” Hooper says his client is being falsely accused of trying to take nude photos and perform sex acts in exchange for money with a 15-year-old, according to WTKR-TV.

“I’ve seen zero evidence that Mr. Hooper committed any crime whatsoever,” defense attorney Conrad Bareford told WTKR.

Hooper is charged with human trafficking, solicitation of prostitution of a minor under 16 years old, forcible sodomy, two counts of manufacturing child porn, two counts of use of communications systems to facilitate offenses involving children, the Mathews County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.

The mother of the 15-year-old girl was arrested in November, a week after Hooper was, according to WVEC-TV. She has also been charged with human trafficking, along with receiving money for procuring a person, receiving money from earnings, aiding prostitution under age 18, indecent liberties with children and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, the TV station reported.

The mother, who McClatchy News is not identifying, was paid for her alleged role in bringing her teenage daughter to Hooper’s yacht, according to WTKR. The girl was originally hired to clean it, WTKR reported.

The sheriff’s office searched Hooper’s 59-foot-yacht and his business, where they found “evidence of graphic material involving Hooper and the victim,” the sheriff announced.

“Other graphic material involving unidentified victims were also recovered,” according to the sheriff’s office.

Hooper is a co-founder of William’s Wharf Oyster Company, WTVR reported

Authorities searched in November for Hooper, who was located and arrested in Maryland, the sheriff’s office said. They were “inundated with calls, messages and social media reports” that helped locate Hooper, according to a Facebook post.

This story was originally published February 20, 2020 at 10:52 AM with the headline "Mom takes bribe from yacht owner to sex traffic her young daughter, Virginia cops say."