A Houston sex trafficker has admitted to recruiting a 16-year-old victim to engage in prostitution through Instagram, text messages and phone calls.
On Friday, U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani announced that Michael Ramone Hooks, 25, had pleaded guilty to coercion and enticement of a minor.
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Authorities discovered text messages between Hooks and the victim where they discussed her age, leaving no doubt that Hooks knew the victim was a minor.
Hooks was attempting to lure the victim away from another sex trafficker -- Antonio Dario Osario-Avelar -- to work for him. Osario-Avelar, a known sex trafficker who went by the nickname “Pressure” was sentenced to 375 months in federal prison earlier this year.
The victim agreed to pay Hooks a “choosing fee,” which is a monetary payment from victims to traffickers in order for them to become their “pimps.”
In Aug. 2023, Hooks was arrested by authorities before the minor could connect with him.
U.S. District Judge Sim Lake accepted Hooks’ guilty plea, and his sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 20 of this year. He faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.