Former Jacksonville, North Carolina car dealer gets 35-year federal sentence in multistate sex-trafficking enterprise case
Federal court imposes 35-year prison term after guilty plea
A former Jacksonville, North Carolina business owner has been sentenced to 35 years in federal prison after pleading guilty in a case prosecutors described as a multistate sex-trafficking and prostitution enterprise. The sentence was announced Thursday, February 26, 2026, in a case centered on a commercial sex operation that investigators said ran for several years and moved victims across state lines.
The defendant, identified as Carrolton Jenkins, previously operated a business known as CarKey Motors on Lejeune Boulevard in Jacksonville. Investigators tied the trafficking operation to activity between 2017 and 2022, with authorities alleging the enterprise operated in at least 51 cities across 15 states.
Scope of the trafficking allegations and coercion claims
In court filings and law enforcement summaries, the case narrative describes a system in which victims were allegedly recruited and controlled to perform commercial sex acts, with earnings taken by the organizer. Prosecutors alleged the enterprise relied on intimidation and coercive rules intended to keep victims generating revenue under constant pressure and limited autonomy.
Authorities further alleged that online advertising and social media were used to market victims and to promote a wider “training” pitch aimed at developing additional facilitators. Investigators portrayed this as part of an effort to scale the operation beyond a single handler, extending the organization’s reach across multiple jurisdictions.
Search warrant at CarKey Motors and evidence cited by investigators
According to the investigative account released in connection with the sentencing, the operation ended after law enforcement executed a raid at CarKey Motors in April 2022. Officials said they recovered electronic devices as well as fentanyl-based pills, fentanyl, and a pill press—items that added a drug component to the evidence gathered during the investigation.
Multiple agencies participated in the investigation, including local and federal partners. The coordination reflects a broader enforcement approach frequently used in trafficking cases that cross city and state lines, where travel patterns, electronic communications, and financial flows often become central to proving interstate activity and control.
How the case fits into a broader regional enforcement strategy
The sentencing comes amid continuing federal efforts in eastern North Carolina to expand cross-agency trafficking enforcement and victim-support coordination. In recent years, task-force partnerships have been built to share intelligence, develop investigative tools, and align law-enforcement activity with services intended to stabilize and protect trafficking victims during and after prosecutions.
- Sentence: 35 years in federal prison
- Enterprise timeframe alleged by prosecutors: 2017–2022
- Geographic scale described by authorities: at least 51 cities in 15 states
- Key enforcement event: April 2022 raid at CarKey Motors on Lejeune Boulevard
The court record and investigative summaries describe a case built around interstate movement, online advertising, and alleged coercion aimed at maintaining control over victims and capturing proceeds from commercial sex acts.