Underground Gangster Crips gang was sentenced to 10 years in prison Friday for his role in a sex trafficking ring that forced high school-age girls into prostitution.

Michael Tavon Jeffries, also known as Loc, 21, pleaded guilty in April to a sex trafficking charge for his involvement in a conspiracy to prostitute high school girls between Nov. 2011 and Jan. 2012, according to U.S. Attorney’s Office spokesman Peter Carr. Jeffries, acting as a bodyguard for the gang, collected some proceeds from the prostitution business, Carr said.  He also paid for a Backpage.com prostitution advertisements and hotel rooms which were used for one of the underage prostitutes, court documents stated.  Jeffries and Christopher Sylvia, 23, of Springfield were part of a group of UGC members and associates who met at least ten high school-age girls at Metro stations or on social media, asking them in either case to join their prostitution business, according to an affidavit on file in federal court. The girls were threatened with violence if they wanted to quit, the affidavit said. Three other men, Justin Storm, 26, of Lorton, Donyel Dove, 27, of Alexandria and Henock Ghile, 23, of Springfield were charged in connection with the sex trafficking ring, authorities said. Sylvia faces ten years to life in prison if convicted on July 20.  He and Jeffries pled guilty on April 12. The Fairfax County police department and the FBI’s Washington Field Office investigated the case with help from the Northern Virginia Human Trafficking Task Force.