A Florida man learned his fate in federal court last Thursday, receiving a sentence that ensures he won’t see the outside of a prison cell for nearly three decades.
Delon Richard Smith, 47, Daytona Beach, was ordered to serve 327 months behind bars after a terrifying campaign of violence and exploitation against two women came to a crashing halt. Smith had previously pleaded guilty in October 2025 to conspiracy and sex trafficking charges involving force, fraud, and coercion.
The details emerging from the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida paint a grim picture of how Smith operated. Starting in 2021, he scouted for vulnerable women, luring them in with the promise of easy money and narcotics.
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Once they were under his thumb, the “opportunity” turned into a nightmare. Smith posted ads online and shuttled the women to various locations to meet buyers, but he pocketed every cent of the proceeds.
To keep the women compliant, Smith relied on raw brutality and his reputation as a member of the Bloods street gang. Court records describe a stomach-turning pattern of abuse where Smith would punch and choke the victims to keep them working.
In one particularly haunting instance, he punished a woman for low earnings by firing a gun and then pressing the searing hot barrel against her face. Another time, he reportedly pistol-whipped a victim and dragged her into a car by her hair simply because she left a hotel room without asking him first.
Federal officials didn’t mince words during the sentencing. Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva noted that the heavy sentence was a direct response to the “abhorrent acts of violence” Smith used to treat human beings like “disposable products.”
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U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe praised the courage of the victims for coming forward, noting that their bravery was the key to ending Smith’s “egregious and reprehensible” behavior.
The FBI’s Jacksonville Field Office, which led the investigation alongside Daytona Police, emphasized that sex trafficking is a violent crime that leaves deep scars on the community.
“This defendant deliberately used force and coercion to control and exploit vulnerable women to line his own pockets,” said Special Agent in Charge Jason Carley. In addition to his prison time, the judge ordered Smith to pay $4,800 in restitution to his victims—a small sum compared to the trauma endured, but a legal acknowledgement of his debts to those he harmed.
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