Friday, March 22, 2019

Missouri City Man Sentenced for Having Trafficked a 12-year-old Girl for Sex


HOUSTON – A 33-year-old Missouri City man has been ordered to prison for sex trafficking of a minor female, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick. Eddie Charles Larue pleaded guilty Oct. 11, 2018, to one count of sex trafficking.

Today, U.S. District Judge Sim Lake sentenced LaRue to 180 months in federal prison. Additional information was also presented today, including a letter read by the child victim detailing her disappointment, fear and bouts of crying when she thinks about what happened to her. Larue will serve the rest of his life on supervised release following completion of his prison term, during which time he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. Larue will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.

At the time of his plea, Larue admitted that from July 3-4, 2017, he recruited a 12-year-old girl to engage in commercial sex acts for money along the 1.3 mile stretch of Bissonnet St., commonly referred to as “The Track.” He also admitted he used force and threats of force to compel his victim into prostitution and collected all of the money she earned. 

The Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance (HTRA) conducted the investigation. HTRA law enforcement includes members of the FBI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, Houston Police Department, sheriff’s offices in Harris and Montgomery counties, Texas Alcoholic and Beverage Commission, Texas Attorney General’s Office, Department of State, Department of Labor, IRS-Criminal Investigation and the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Established in 2004, the United States Attorney’s office in Houston formed the HTRA to combine resources with federal, state and local enforcement agencies and prosecutors, as well as non-governmental service organizations to target human traffickers while providing necessary services to those that the traffickers victimized. Since its inception, HTRA has been recognized as a national model in identifying and assisting victims of human trafficking and prosecuting those engaged in trafficking offenses.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sebastian Edwards and Jill Stotts are prosecuting the case.

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