OMAHA, Neb. -- A 43-year-old Omaha man was sentenced to 27 years in prison for sex trafficking of a minor by force. 

The U.S. Attorney announced on that James Ferman Chatman was sentenced on Thursday to federal court in Omaha. 

The Chief U.S. District Judge sentenced Chatman to 27 years in prison. 

After his release from prison, Chatman will serve 10 years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal prison system. 

Chatman was also ordered to pay $1,300 in restitution, and will be required to register as a sex offender. 

According to court documents, law enforcement began investigating in September 2021 after getting information from FBI Innocence Lost that a missing 17-year-old female was actively being advertised online for commercial sex in Omaha.

Investigators located and contacted the minor female who advised that she was being forced to engage in commercial sex sales by a person she knew as “James Cooper.” The minor stated that “James” kept all of the money the sex buyers paid. 

The minor reported that she had been sexually assaulted by “James” and that “James” had been providing her with cocaine.

Evidence uncovered by law enforcement showed James Ferman Chatman had created online commercial sex ads depicting the minor female in addition to ads depicting other females.

After the teen was recovered, Chatman continued to post commercial sex ads in various states across the country.

In November 2021, investigators learned that Chatman had returned to a hotel in Omaha, and they arrested Chatman at the hotel.

Also staying in the hotel room was an adult female who advised that she was being sold for sex by Chatman and that Chatman used violence and threats of violence to keep her engaging in commercial sex sales.

In 2019, Chatman was convicted of unlawful sexual acts with a 16-17 year old in Leon County, Florida. Chatman had not registered as a sex offender in Nebraska after leaving Florida.

"The FBI remains resolute in our commitment to protecting the most vulnerable members of our community and bringing child predators to justice," said Eugene Kowel, Special Agent in charge, of the Omaha Field Office. "We value and recognize the critical work of our law enforcement partners. As with many crimes we investigate, we cannot do it without collaboration from the law enforcement community and the public."

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Omaha Police Department, and the United States Marshals Service.