HOUSTON – Two Houston men are headed to federal prison after admitting to recruiting a teenager on social media and trafficking her for sex, acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery announced Monday.
Demetrius Delaan White, 30, and Deonte Danquise Bailey-Roach, 28, pleaded guilty on Jan. 27.
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On Monday, U.S. District Judge Kenneth M. Hoyt sentenced White to 240 months, while Bailey-Roach received a 14-month term.
The court considered statements from the minor victim and her mother who detailed the lasting impact of the teenager’s victimization, authorities said.
According to the news release, both men will be ordered to pay restitution to the victim and serve an additional five years on supervised release following completion of the prison terms, during which time they will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict access to children and the internet. Both men will also be ordered to register as sex offenders.
Authorities said in 2017, White and Bailey-Roach recruited the troubled teenager on social media. They then brought her from her home in Stephenville to Houston to engage in commercial sex acts.
Over the next four days, they exploited the minor for their own sexual gratification and profit, according to court documents. Authorities said the men posted the minor on internet advertisements for commercial sex, during which time more than 300 people expressed interest. The men then allegedly rented motel rooms for the sex acts, drove her to clients’ homes and took her to a truck stop. They also had her walk on Bissonnet Street, an area commonly known for open and rampant sex trade.
Authorities said before the minor engaged in the commercial sex acts, the men gave her drugs, and they also kept all the cash proceeds.
Both men will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility.
The FBI and the Houston Police Department,, both part of the Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance, conducted the investigation.