JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – On Wednesday, Attorney General Lynn Fitch (R-Miss.) announced two men were sentenced in separate cases for promoting prostitution and child exploitation.

On March 20, 2023, Kendall Johnson, of Jackson, was sentenced by Hinds County Circuit Court Judge Winston Kidd to 10 years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) with four years to serve followed by five years of post-release supervision for one count of promoting prostitution.

Fitch said Johnson will also be required to pay a $1,000 assessment to the Victims of Human Trafficking and Commercial Sexual Exploitation Fund. His arrest was the result of an undercover operation initiated by the attorney general’s Human Trafficking investigative unit.

On March 27, 2023, Ezekiel Ely, of Vancleave, was sentenced by Harrison County Circuit Court Judge Lawrence P. Bourgeois, Jr. to 20 years in the custody of the MDOC with four years to serve followed by five years of post-release supervision for one count of child exploitation.

According to Fitch, Ely must register as a sex offender upon release. This arrest was the result of “Operation Bad Santa,” a multi-jurisdiction undercover investigation.

  • Kendell Johnson (Courtesy: MS Attorney General’s Office)
  • Ezekiel Ely (Courtesy: MS Attorney General’s Office)

If you have information about a child being sexually exploited online, you can report it to 1-800-843-5678.