Lorain County Prosecutor J.D. Tomlinson announced May 11 in a news release that Common Pleas Judge James Miraldi sentenced Steven Gilbert to life in prison on human trafficking charges.
Gilbert, 31, of Elyria, was convicted of 31 charges in Lorain County’s first-ever human trafficking trial.
He will be eligible for parole in 172.5 to 182.5 years, according to the release.
Miraldi also designated Gilbert a violent offender, sexually violent predator and Tier III sex offender, the highest classification in Ohio’s sex offender registration laws.
If Gilbert is ever released from prison, he will need to register with the local sheriff every 90 days for the rest of his life.
Gilbert’s sentence results from his multi-year operation of a human trafficking ring in which he physically and psychological abused women to act as prostitutes for his benefit, Tomlinson said in the release.
As part of those actions, Gilbert raped and beat the women, drugged them and withheld food to coerce their continued participation in his activities, the release said.
“Steven Gilbert committed monstrous acts that violated the most basic rights of his victims. Our community can rest easier knowing that he will be off the streets for the rest of his life,” Tomlinson said in the release. “I also hope that this sentence shows to offenders throughout Northeast Ohio that my Office will do everything in its power to hold human traffickers accountable.”
Gilbert is the 118th sex offender prosecuted by the Lorain County Prosecutor’s Office since 2021.
Tomlinson has made holding sex offenders accountable an enforcement priority and the number of defendants ordered to register as sex offenders has increased 26% since 2021, the release said.
