Federal Grand Jury Charges Man With Prostituting Rochester Girl

A federal grand jury has returned a sex trafficking indictment against a Twin Cities man accused of prostituting and sexually assaulting a 12-year-old Rochester girl.

The indictment against 34-year-old Lee Paul alleges he and a 21-year-old Alexandria woman used text messages to lure the 12-year-old girl to a Rochester fast food restaurant and then took her, and a 16-year-old Kasson girl, to the Twin Cities where he allegedly sexually assaulted both girls. The younger girl was then transported to Alexandria, where she was forced to have sex with men who responded to an ad on Craigslist.

Authorities were able to rescue her after the 16-year-old girl contacted a law enforcement officer in the Twin Cities.

Federal officials say Paul fled the state after charges were filed against him in Olmsted and Anoka counties, but he was later captured in Georgia.

(The Minnesota News Network contributed to this report)