⚖ Oral Arguments, with Context

The Ninth Circuit hears Maurice Fitzgerald Alexander Junior's appeal from a federal sex-trafficking prosecution in Tucson. The case began after a fourteen-year-old girl called 911 in October 2021 and reported being trafficked for sexual exploitation. Investigators said Alexander had moved her through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Colorado, and forced her to make explicit images later used in online advertisements. A jury convicted him of sex trafficking a minor by force, fraud, or coercion; conspiracy; interstate transportation for criminal sexual activity; and producing child pornography. The district judge sentenced him to forty years in prison and lifetime supervision. On appeal, Alexander says his trial lawyer wrongly told him that not knowing the girl's age was a defense to one count. He argues that the bad advice cost him an early plea offer capped at ten years, and that the judge should have replaced counsel after their relationship broke down. He also challenges the evidence and an expert witness; the appeal remains pending.

United States v. Maurice Fitzgerald Alexander Jr. (No. 24-5052) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, argued September 17, 2026.