Allen Arthur Frazier

A Williamsport man has been found guilty of criminal attempt – trafficking in individuals, conspiracy – trafficking in individuals, possession of a controlled substance, two counts of unlawful contact with a minor and corruption of minors in his attempts to trade drugs, money and other goods in exchange for sexual favors from two minor victims, aged 12 and 16-years-old, Tuesday afternoon, following a two-day trial in the courtroom of Lycoming County Judge Ryan Tira.

Allen Arthur Frazier, 40, was charged with the crimes in August 2023 after the 12-year-old victim reached out to her older sister via social media app Snapchat, informing her that she was in an unsafe situation. The older sister then contacted police.

Taking the stand separately, both victims stated that on one occasion while at an apartment belonging to J. Gibbs and V. Booth, Frazier tried to enter a bedroom through a locked door, before knocking and asking the girls to perform a sex act on him for $20.

So traumatized were the girls from the encounter that they fled the house, resulting in the 16-year-old falling and scraping her knee.

Openly sobbing while testifying, the 16-year-old recounted how after returning to the apartment, Frazier asked her if she wanted to go in the bathroom with him so he could apologize, an invitation she declined.

Gibbs, Booth and Frazier all testified that the three would routinely gather in the apartment to smoke crack-cocaine together.

Gibbs pleaded guilty to two counts of trafficking individuals and was sentenced to two to five years in county prison last year, while Booth is serving a two to four year sentence in state prison after pleading no contest to two charges of trafficking individuals.

Gibbs and Booth later approached both victims and asked if the 16-year-old would be willing to hangout with Frazier in exchange for money. The girls were told nothing sexual would happen, other than possibly some kissing, the victims said.

The 16-year-old fled the residence and informed her mother, who telephoned Gibbs immediately.

The phone call was confrontational, with Gibbs initially denying the interaction had ever happened, before Booth took the phone and offered differing stories on the incident.

Booth initially said he and Gibbs were joking about the deal, before telling the mother that they had “heard things” about her daughter and wanted to see if she would really do it, she testified.

Taking the stand in his own defense, Frazier stated that although he lived in the same apartment building as Gibbs and Booth, he would go to their apartment to do drugs since he had a young son and pregnant fiance, who didn’t know about his drug habit, living with him, but denied having any sexual desires in reference to the girls.

Much of the case centered on text exchanges between Frazier and Gibbs, which Lycoming County Special Prosecutor Korrin Moon said showed Frazier’s intentions.

“I need help from y’all. I’ll bless you with an eight ball,” Frazier said to Gibbs in texts displayed in court.

When asked what he needed help with, Frazier responded, “getting little buddy.”

Though defense attorney Krista Deats attempted to use texts and testimony from Frazier’s mistress at the time to convince jurors that “little buddy” was a term he used specifically for his mistress at the time, under cross examination, Frazier stated it was more of a generic term.

Further texts between Gibbs and Frazier painted a different picture as well, with one exchange from Gibbs to Frazier stating that while the 12-year-old was off limits, she would leave him and the 16-year-old alone for a while to see what happened.

“Y’all have to ask her for me,” Frazier said to Gibbs, instructing her to ask the youth is she would “have some fun for some money.”

“Tell her I don’t want to “expletive,” just rub on her,” another text from Frazier said.

Frazier continued to push Gibbs to speak to the girls, texts read aloud by Moon showed.

When told the girls had refused, Frazier made a sexual comment about the 16-year-old’s body.

During closing arguments, Deats stressed that the Snapchat messages between the 12-year-old and her sister made no mention of the incident and argued Frazier’s interest in the girls was manufactured by Gibbs and Booth in an attempt to secure drugs.

None of the stories matched the timelines given, and jurors were able to see Frazier’s “raw, real reaction” when police brought the girls up during his interrogation, which was played for the jury, Deats said.

“That’s why he was confused,” she said.

“Thank God this was just an attempt, that they got away and they weren’t assaulted,” Moon countered.

Circling back to her opening argument, Moon stressed to the jury that human trafficking does not fit into the preconceived notions gained by its portrayal in the media.

“Nowhere is immune,” she said, adding that right now, 27 million people in the country are victims of the crime.

“It isn’t this overt thing and it happens all the time,” Moon told the jury.

“They don’t want kidnapping victims because that raises red flags and brings in the police. They like to work in secret,” she said.

At Deats’ urging, two counts of criminal attempt to traffic individuals were dismissed by Tira, who found that only the 16-year-old was the target of Frazier.

Sentencing is scheduled on 11 a.m. on June 3.