MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Memphis man has been indicted, along with a Kentucky woman, on federal sex trafficking charges, accused of forcing a woman into prostitution.
Portier Govan, 36, of Memphis, is accused of using “force, threats, and coercion to compel an adult woman to engage in commercial sex” between Aug. 8 and 11, 2022. The indictment accused Govan and Brittany Howard, 24, of Bowling Green, Kentucky, of “entering into an agreement to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion.”
Govan appeared in a federal court in Kentucky Monday, March 20. Howard is set to appear later this week.
If convicted of sex trafficking, Govan faces a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison, up to life imprisonment. If convicted of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, Govan and Howard face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
The Bowling Green Police Department and the FBI Louisville Field Office investigated the case.
The FBI is asking anyone with information about Govan or Howard to contact the FBI Bowling Green Resident Agency at 270-781-4734.
If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking, please call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
