A Mahtomedi man who sold a woman for sex in three states has been sentenced in Washington County to 19 years in prison.

Shaun Michael Maubach, 32, pleaded guilty to sex trafficking of an individual, for which he received a 15-year sentence. Because he had a previous sex trafficking conviction, he also received an additional four years, said County Attorney Pete Orput.

"Human sex trafficking knows no boundaries," said Orput, who credited interagency collaboration for Maubach's successful prosecution.

According to the criminal complaint, Maubach was arrested in June in Woodbury on a Kansas burglary warrant. He volunteered to a detective assigned to the Washington County Drug Task Force that he could provide information on where to find $10,000 worth of methamphetamine and marijuana, using photos stored in his phone.

The detective looked at the phone and instead found evidence of sex trafficking, including a phone number connected to more than 15 commercial sex ads posted in the metro area. Further inspection revealed more than 100 ads placed in Minnesota, Colorado and Washington, the complaint said. Maubach had bragged in text messages of "running 6 girls," and also distributed methamphetamine through texting.

The detective "then located what appear to be secret video recordings of suspected commercial sex customers having sex with known sex trafficking victims," the complaint said.

The female victim, when interviewed by detectives, seemed fearful of Maubach and relieved that police had intervened. The complaint noted that Maubach had used a tracking phone application to "monitor where she is and what she is doing."

Maubach has a lengthy criminal history, including several violent crime convictions. An investigation into other possible trafficking victims is ongoing, the complaint said.

Judge Gregory Galler sentenced Maubach on Wednesday in Washington County District Court. Assistant County Attorney Imran Ali prosecuted the case.

Kevin Giles • 651-925-5037