Billings Pimp Convicted

A Billings man was convicted Thursday of promoting a teenage girl for prostitution. KTVQ reports 35-year-old Marlon Thomas was found guilty in Yellowstone County District Court after prosecutors showed that Thomas used the website Backpage.com to promote a 17-year-old girl and a 19-year-old woman for prostitution.

An undercover agent responded to the ad in October 2016 and began communicating with the younger girl with text messages. The girl presented a rate and made arrangements to meet the undercover agent at the Ledgestone Hotel in Billings. Officers met the girl at the hotel and identified themselves, and she admitted she was underage. She confessed that Thomas was her pimp. The girl said she and her friend met Thomas at a party and he offered to help them make some money. Authorities found evidence of Thomas’ involvement at the hotel room.