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Alleged sex trafficker tells Phoenix police, "It shouldn't be illegal"

Alleged sex trafficker tells Phoenix police, "It shouldn't be illegal"
Posted at 3:59 PM, Mar 20, 2017
and last updated 2017-03-20 18:59:03-04

An alleged sex trafficker threatened a woman's children to get her to perform sex acts, authorities say.

Phoenix police report that on March 9 officers responded to an 'escort ad' on backpage.com and were soon directed to an apartment in north Phoenix. Police say when the undercover detective got to the location, he texted the contact and received direction to the appropriate apartment unit.

Once inside, police say, the woman broke down and started crying saying, "I didn't want to do this." She reportedly told the officer that a man named "Ace" grabbed her by the throat and told her "she was required to have sex with tricks for money, " and she would do this because "she loved her children."

Fearing for her children's safety, the woman complied and soon was engaged in sexual activity with a man as "Ace" watched. The victim reportedly told police that the man paid $120 to Ace for the sex act. 

The suspect, identified as 30-year-old Arthur Lee McCray, later came into the room and was identified by the victim and taken into custody.

As McCray was being placed in a patrol car, he allegedly told police, "I didn't do anything wrong, it shouldn’t be illegal."

McCray is being held on a $100,000 bond and has been charged with sex trafficking and other charges.