DES MOINES - The first person to be convicted under Iowa's new human trafficking law was sentenced to 25 years in prison Monday for recruiting two teenage girls into prostitution.

Leonard Ray Russell was convicted by a Crawford County jury in September for his role in the case.

Prosecutors allege Russell took the girls to Davenport, Denison and Rockford, Ill., and had them perform at strip clubs and engage in prostitution over several days. The girls were 15 and 16 at the time.

Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller said the case helped prosecutors understand that human trafficking is more common than they realized.

"It can be especially perilous for young people and disadvantaged kids, and it can occur in small towns," Miller said in a statement. "The underground nature of human trafficking makes it hard to fight, but the trafficking law is a valuable new tool, and we will use it."

The two girls testified they met Russell and Marcia Ryan in Omaha in August 2007 after they left a juvenile home in Fremont, Neb., without permission.

Russell invited the girls to go out of town with him, and Ryan allegedly provided them with alcohol and marijuana.

Once they arrived in Davenport, the girls were taught to negotiate for sex and told they would have to work if they wanted to stay with Russell, prosecutors said.

The girls testified they didn't like what they were doing but felt they had nowhere to go. They had to turn over the money they made in return for food, clothing, shelter and transportation.

Acting on a tip, police found one of the girls at Big Earl's Key Club in Denison. The other was found in Washington, D.C., where she had been sent to meet up with Russell's cousin to learn to solicit for sex.

Police investigators were able to retrace the trip of Russell and the girls through hotel receipts and Internet postings offering the two girls as prostitutes.

Crawford County District Judge Edward A. Jacobson sentenced Russell to a total of 25 years in prison for two counts of human trafficking, two counts of pandering and a count of ongoing criminal conduct. Jacobson ordered the sentences for the charges to run concurrently.

The case for Ryan, who faces the same charges Russell faced, is pending.

Former State Sen. Maggie Tinsman of Bettendorf, who was key in getting the state human trafficking law passed, was pleased with the outcome of Russell's case.

"I'm thrilled. I want people to realize that slavery absolutely will not be condoned in Iowa, and I'm glad it's that high a sentence," Tinsman said.

Tinsman had to fight against doubts these types of crimes happened in Iowa to get the law enacted.

"I just want people to know that it's here," Tinsman said.

Contact Charlotte Eby at (515) 422-9061 or chareby@aol.com.