North Texas 'pimp' and 'john' receive lengthy federal prison sentences for sex trafficking 12-year-old girl

DALLAS — A North Texas man was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge Jane J. Boyle to 188 months in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas. 

This case was investigated by the Irving (Texas) Police Department, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); both are members of the North Texas Trafficking Task Force.

Luis Rivera, 19, of Irving, Texas, pleaded guilty in October 2015 to one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of children.

Last month, Rivera’s co-defendant, Brady Rodriguez-Cruz, aka Marcos Antonio Rodriguez-Mejia, 33, also of Irving, was sentenced by Judge Boyle to 293 months in federal prison. Rodriguez-Cruz was convicted at trial in November 2015 on one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of children, and he pleaded guilty before trial to one count of possessing counterfeit documents.

In the conspiracy, Rodriguez-Cruz acted as the “john,” and Rivera acted as the “pimp.” From about Dec. 23 through Dec. 25, 2014, Rodriguez-Cruz and Rivera agreed to cause Jane Doe, a 12-year-old girl, to engage in a commercial sex act.

Rivera met Jane Doe, along with three other minor females, in Irving. Shortly after he met the girls, Rivera learned that Jane Doe was 12-years-old. Rivera and his friends, including one minor friend, took the four girls to an empty apartment in Irving, where they stayed overnight. The girls had no money, so they were not able to eat that day.

The next day, the group left the abandoned apartment and went to Rivera’s minor friend’s apartment; Rivera told the four girls that they needed to engage in commercial sex acts to earn money for food. Rivera then made several phone calls seeking potential commercial sex customers for the girls. He planned to charge $100 for sexual intercourse with one of the girls. Rivera reached Rodriguez-Cruz who agreed to come to the location to engage in a commercial sex act. Rodriguez-Cruz brought another man with him to the apartment. Rivera told the four girls to line up so the men could select who they wanted to have sex with, and Rodriguez-Cruz selected the youngest girl, 12-year-old Jane Doe. Rodriguez-Cruz then negotiated the price for sex with a girl down to $50. Shortly thereafter, he engaged in commercial sex acts with Jane Doe, paid Rivera and his minor male friend about $50, and hastily left.  A portion of that money was then used to buy some fast food for the girls.

Additionally, on Aug. 28, 2015, when officers with the Irving Police Department executed a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Rodriguez-Cruz, they found him possessing an unlawfully obtained, counterfeit U.S. Permanent residence card. That card was issued in another name but bore Rodriguez-Cruz’s photograph.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cara Foos Pierce and John Kull, Northern District of Texas, prosecuted this case.

This investigation was conducted under HSI’s Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 14,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2015, nearly 2,400 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 1,000 victims identified or rescued.

HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196.

Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.

For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI’s Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page.