A man from Lake Placid, Florida, has been ordered to pay $327,735 in restitution to victims he trafficked for sex. The order was issued on October 6 by U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon.
Shannima Yuantrell Session, also known as “Shalamar,” age 47, was previously sentenced to life in federal prison after being found guilty of ten counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion and three counts of sex trafficking of a minor. Authorities said Session exploited nearly a dozen women and girls.
“Human trafficking is one of the most vicious crimes imaginable—it strips victims of their freedom, dignity, and humanity,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “This restitution order ensures that the survivors of Session’s cruelty receive some measure of justice for the years of exploitation and abuse they endured. Our Office will continue to pursue traffickers relentlessly and stand with the victims they sought to silence.”
Evidence presented during a nine-day trial in September 2024 showed that Session forced his victims into thousands of commercial sex acts between July 2011 and July 2013, and again between February 2016 and February 2019. He targeted women and girls who were facing unstable housing situations, substance abuse issues, or neglect by making false promises about employment opportunities and housing assistance. These tactics were used to gain their trust before controlling them.
Session compelled his victims to engage in commercial sex acts in poor living conditions such as trailers used by migrant workers and local orange groves. He maintained control over them through food, shelter, drugs, intimidation with firearms, threats, and violence—including physical assaults with weapons—and once threatened two victims at a lake by holding their heads underwater.
At both trial and restitution hearings, prosecutors demonstrated that Session earned approximately $327,735 from these coerced acts. The court has now ordered him to repay this amount to his victims.
The case was announced by U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones along with Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles from the FBI Miami Field Office.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI Miami Field Office’s Fort Pierce Resident Agency with help from the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Hoover for the Southern District of Florida prosecuted the case alongside Trial Attorneys Leah Branch and Matthew Thiman from the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit.
Authorities encourage anyone with information about human trafficking to contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org for more resources on reporting suspected cases or learning about ongoing efforts against human trafficking.
