A Houston man has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison after luring a 13-year-old girl away from her family and forcing her into prostitution, according to federal prosecutors. U.S. District Judge Kenneth M. Hoyt handed down a 240-month sentence Monday, along with 10 years of supervised release that will limit the defendant’s contact with minors and his internet use. The 27-year-old, Trevyeon Deshawn Prater, pleaded guilty last summer and remains in custody while he awaits transfer to a federal Bureau of Prisons facility.
Houston man gets 20 years for sex trafficking minor #HouNews #ProjectSafeChildhood https://t.co/DtsOyAriNC https://t.co/AGo1w9v5OD
— US Attorney SDTX (@usao_sdtx) March 2, 2026
Judge’s Decision And Victim Impact
At the sentencing hearing, the court received a victim impact letter along with other information about the long-term harm to the child. Judge Hoyt described the crime as “part of an evil cycle that takes advantage of people,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
As detailed in a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas, Prater must register as a sex offender and serve the full 240-month prison term, followed by 10 years of supervised release. Those post-prison conditions will include multiple restrictions aimed at limiting his access to children and curbing his use of the internet.
How Prosecutors Say The Trafficking Unfolded
According to prosecutors, the case began on Nov. 29, 2022, when the 13-year-old girl was reported missing. Investigators later located her along the Bissonnet “blade,” a stretch near the I-59 Southwest Freeway and Bissonnet Street that law enforcement has long associated with street-level prostitution.
In a post on X by the US Attorney SDTX, officials said Prater coached the girl both in person and by phone, used a cellphone to stay in contact with her, and lured her away from her family so she could be exploited in commercial sex.
Bissonnet Track Remains A Focus
The Bissonnet “blade” has repeatedly surfaced in federal human trafficking cases in recent years, and local coverage has documented a pattern of lengthy federal sentences tied to that corridor. The Houston Chronicle recently highlighted a case that ended with a 29-year federal sentence for another trafficker, a reminder of how aggressively prosecutors and task forces have tried to dismantle operations that target teens along that strip.
Multi-agency teams such as the Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance are often deployed to coordinate rescues and prosecutions linked to the blade, according to local reporting and court filings.
Prosecution And Next Steps
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kim Leo and Celia Moyer handled the prosecution. Federal officials said the FBI and the Houston Police Department led the investigation as part of the Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance.
As outlined by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas, Prater formally pleaded guilty on July 28, 2025. He will be transferred to a Bureau of Prisons facility in the near future, and the office’s release lays out the key terms of his plea, sentencing, and supervised release conditions.
Help And Reporting
If you or someone you know may be a victim of human trafficking, you can contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888, text “BEFREE” (233733), or visit the National Human Trafficking Hotline for 24/7 confidential assistance. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911. In non-emergencies, tips to the hotline or local law enforcement can help investigators locate and recover victims.
