Texas bounty hunter lured women into sex trafficking through YouTube videos, feds say
.JPG "Luis Rodriguez, also known as H-Town Hunter, was sentenced to prison after he pleaded guilty to sex trafficking women from Colombia and the U.S., officials say.")
A Texas bounty hunter accused of leading an international sex-trafficking conspiracy is going to prison, officials say.
Luis Rodriguez, who was known as the H-Town Hunter, was sentenced Monday to 15 years in prison. He pleaded guilty last year to sex trafficking, conspiracy to commit visa fraud and international money laundering, a Department of Justice news release says.
According to federal prosecutors, Rodriguez and his criminal network “targeted, recruited and exploited young women” in Colombia and the U.S. by making “false promises” that he could help them find a better life.
He directed women to watch YouTube videos of his work as a bounty hunter to portray himself as someone who could be trusted due to his affiliations with law enforcement, officials say.
When the women arrived in Houston, he directed them to work at a strip club, officials say. Rodriguez and others forced the women to enter debt bondage contracts ranging from $13,000 to $25,000.
“During the conspiracy, Rodriguez threatened victims and their families in Colombia, constantly monitored them, tracked their cellphones and ultimately forced them into engaging in commercial sex acts,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas said in the news release.
Rodriguez is accused of using violent methods if women wanted to leave or didn’t cooperate and told them it was useless to seek help because of his connections to law enforcement, officials say.
He also committed visa fraud to bring the women into the U.S., creating fake backgrounds and occupations to increase the chances they would be approved, officials say.
This story was originally published April 27, 2021 at 8:05 PM with the headline "Texas bounty hunter lured women into sex trafficking through YouTube videos, feds say."