Sussex County man’s guilty plea highlights Delaware’s growing concerns over juvenile trafficking

WILMINGTON, Del. — A Sussex County man has pleaded guilty to transporting a 12‑year‑old girl across state lines for criminal sexual activity, a case that advocates say underscores the growing urgency of Delaware’s efforts to confront juvenile trafficking. Miles Clark, 22, admitted in federal court that he drove the girl from a church near her Pennsylvania home to his residence in Delaware, where the two had sexual intercourse, according to court documents. “Approximately one week before, Clark and the minor victim met on Snapchat. Their conversations quickly turned sexual,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a press release, noting that Clark sent the child explicit videos and “knew the victim was a minor.” Clark faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and up to life. Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 27, 2026. Federal prosecutors announced the plea as part of Project Safe Childhood, a national initiative aimed at combating child exploitation. But advocates say the case reflects a much larger and often hidden problem in Delaware. ‘The numbers we see are only a fraction’ Marcia Ferranto, a board member of the Delaware Coalition for Human Trafficking Survivors, said the Clark case is a stark example of how easily
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