Two Arlington men will spend decades in federal prison after prosecutors said they exploited a runaway minor and kept her supplied with fentanyl while trafficking her for sex. Jamal Howard, 52, was sentenced to 50 years, and Renaldo Rojas, 27, was sentenced to 30 years, according to court records.
Howard was sentenced last Friday and Rojas on Jan. 15, after both men pleaded guilty in October, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Prosecutors say the case was brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas, with Homeland Security Investigations and the Arlington Police Department playing key roles. The reporting also notes that two co-defendants were convicted in related hearings and received shorter prison terms.
How investigators say the scheme worked
Court documents and prosecutors say the case started in late July 2024, when the victim, reported as a runaway, was given fentanyl pills by Rojas. He then sent photos of the girl to Howard in exchange for more pills, according to a U.S. Department of Justice press release cited by AOL. Authorities say Howard brought the victim to his apartment, gave her additional pills, had her photographed and posted commercial sex ads for her on a website already known for illicit services, then trafficked her to several men.
Members of the North Texas Trafficking Force recovered the victim in an Arlington apartment on Aug. 1, 2024. Agents say messages and other evidence pointed to transactions involving more than 5,000 fentanyl pills.
Co-defendants and counts
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that 63-year-old Elnora Jordan pleaded guilty to conspiracy to launder money and was sentenced to nearly two years in prison. Another co-defendant, 23-year-old Yolanda Gonzales, was sentenced to one year for communicating with Howard about buying fentanyl.
According to the same reporting, Rojas and Howard were indicted in June 2025 and admitted guilt in October. Prosecutors pursued a slate of charges that included sex trafficking of a minor, distribution of fentanyl to a minor and money-laundering offenses.
Prosecutors' reaction
In a press release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said federal prosecutors were gratified that the victim was recovered and that the lengthy sentences reflect the seriousness of the crimes. Officials with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas and HSI praised the joint investigation and urged the public to report suspected trafficking activity.
Where this fits in the fentanyl crisis
Federal prosecutors have increasingly paired trafficking and exploitation charges as fentanyl pills spread across North Texas, turning addiction into a tool of coercion and control. Local task forces that combine federal investigators and police, officials say, are central to finding victims and dismantling networks like the one alleged in this case.
The defendants will serve their sentences in federal custody, and investigators say the probe remains active as authorities follow additional leads. For more information or to report tips, contact details for the office are listed in the press room of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas.
