GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A metro Grand Rapids man convicted of human trafficking after a girl was found hiding in a car that crossed the Mackinac Bridge was sentenced Wednesday to federal prison.

Terrence Donte Clay, 39, “has demonstrated no remorse for his actions,’’ federal prosecutors said in asking for a lengthy sentence.

During an appearance in federal court in Lansing, Clay was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Clay took sexually explicit photos of a 16-year-old girl and directed her to take nude photos, court records show. He was also accused of sending child pornography from his iPhone.

A federal jury in May found him guilty of sex trafficking and sexual exploitation of a child as well as distribution of child pornography. 

Clay “has demonstrated no remorse for his actions,’’ assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Ross wrote in a sentencing memorandum. “Instead, he obstructs and blames others, including his minor victim.’’

Clay, while on parole, “found a homeless, underage, and vulnerable victim’’ and won her trust through “classic grooming techniques,’’ federal prosecutors said.

“Then, he demanded that she prostitute herself for his financial benefit,’’ Ross wrote. A release from federal attorneys said Clay had sex with the victim multiple times and told her to have sex with other men for money, having her make a sign and panhandle to offer specific acts at set prices. He also used the nude images to advertise her online, attorneys said.

Clay came under scrutiny in October of 2022 when investigators with the Kent County Sheriff’s Office Human Trafficking Task Force got a tip about a 16-year-old girl that was being trafficked.

Authorities say they learned that a Comstock Park man befriended a 16-year-old Grand Rapids girl at a park in the city of Grand Rapids. Investigators say she was then trafficked using social media. Sheriff’s deputies got information that the teen was in the Upper Peninsula, possibly with the man. They informed northern Michigan authorities.

While the man was driving across the Mackinac Bridge on Nov. 12, 2022, a toll worker saw a person hiding underneath a blanket in the backseat of the man’s car.

The Mackinac Bridge Authority notified police, who stopped the vehicle after it crossed the bridge. Clay was arrested and booked into the Cheboygan County Jail.

The Kent County Prosecutor’s office filed state charges, including child sexually-abusive commercial activity. State charges were dismissed when the federal indictment was filed last year.

Clay has a lengthy criminal record dating back to his teen years. Convictions include drug trafficking, robbery, domestic assault, and assault for shooting a man in the leg.

“He has repeatedly and consistently demonstrated that if he is not in custody, he will reoffend and endanger the people around him,’’ Ross wrote in asking for a lengthy prison term.

For his part, Clay asked for a sentence below the guideline range, noting that he and the 16-year-old “both engaged in sex freely and voluntarily.’’

He also contends the 16-year-old did not engage in commercial sex.