The Georgia Attorney General’s Office announced last week that Virginia Anne Bates, 37, of Forest Park, has pleaded guilty to human trafficking and pimping charges in DeKalb County. As part of her plea, Bates admitted to knowingly harboring and providing a 16-year-old female relative and an 18-year-old female to sex buyers. Bates also collected a portion of the financial proceeds from the commercial sex acts of both victims.
This conviction follows an investigation that was conducted by the Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit, which recovered the 16-year-old female in March 2023.
“For anyone to harm a child is unconscionable, but when that abuse and exploitation occurs at the hands of a family member, it’s all the more sickening,” said Carr. “This case is a tragic reminder that human trafficking comes in all forms, and it takes all of us working together to identify the signs and save lives. We’re fighting each day to protect Georgia’s children, and we won’t rest until every predator is behind bars.”
This case was investigated by Chief Human Trafficking Investigator Bryan Kimbell and prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Maggie Meetze.
Conviction and Sentencing
In Sept. 2025, Virginia Anne Bates pleaded guilty to the following charges:
Bates was sentenced to 40 years, with the first 25 to be served in prison and the remainder on strict probation. She is also required to register as a sex offender.
Case Summary
This case first came to the attention of law enforcement in November 2021, when the 16-year-old victim was living with Bates, who is a relative. Law enforcement was called to the residence due to the child experiencing a mental health crisis. When law enforcement and EMS made contact with the child, concerns developed that she may have been the victim of human trafficking. The child was then taken to a treatment facility but subsequently ran away and was listed as an active missing juvenile.
Bates maintained contact with the 16-year-old while she was listed as missing.
Bates ultimately rented a hotel room where the 16-year-old victim and the 18-year-old victim were expected to perform commercial sex acts. Bates further assisted in taking photos of the child and the 18-year-old, posted advertisements selling them online, and received money from the sexual servitude of the victims. Bates then transported the 16-year-old victim to another location for additional commercial sex acts.
Chief Investigator Kimbell and the Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit became involved in this case in March 2023 and successfully located and recovered the child. Investigator Kimbell then opened an investigation, and Bates was taken into custody on March 25, 2024, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service, the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team, the Forest Park Police Department, and the Clayton County Police Department.
