U.S. District Judge John Coughenour cited the victim's age in sentencing Sean Hart to a term that is almost three times longer than federal guidelines.

The girl went missing in 2006 from her home in Elk Grove, Calif. Passed from pimp to pimp, the girl ended up in Hart's hands May 25, 2006, according to court records.

For 12 days, Hart forced her into prostitution and "coerced her into giving him all her earnings. (She) feared the defendant because he beat her frequently," according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Jill Otake.

In seeking the exceptional sentence, Otake characterized Hart as a man who "caused a 12-year-old girl to believe that her only asset was her ability to have sex with strangers. She now faces a horrific struggle to overcome this belief."

Before sentencing, Hart addressed the court, saying: "I am just ashamed and embarrassed. I'll never do something like this again. I am changing my life."

Coughenour also sentenced Randy Ivey to 30 months in prison for his role in passing the girl on to Hart. That sentence also was an upward departure from sentencing guidelines, which call for a range of 12 to 18 months.

Although Ivey didn't know the girl was 12, he paid for her flight to Seattle knowing that she had been kept in sexual slavery by a California pimp, according to court records. When he met her and realized she was a minor, he turned her over to Hart.

Ivey also apologized Friday. "I am just ashamed that I am part of this whole situation," he said.

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