Latest Legal News from the Criminal Courts in Houston, Texas

May 2 , 2007

BEAUMONT NATIVE SENTENCED TO LENGTHY PRISON FOR SEX TRAFFICKING OF MINORS

Court departs upward from guidelines and orders a lifetime of supervision

(HOUSTON) - A native of Beaumont, Texas convicted last year in the first case of harboring minors for commercial sex brought in the Southern District of Texas, has been sentenced to more than 21 years in federal prison to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release, United States Attorney Don DeGabrielle announced today.

George Anderson, III, 30, was sentenced this morning to 262 months in federal prison, without parole, to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release. In handing down the sentence, United States District Judge David Hittner departed upward for a number of stated reasons from the calculated guideline maximum sentence of 188 months. The court found that the calculated guideline range did not sufficiently take into account the fact that Anderson’s recruitment and use of these two vulnerable minors for commercial sex exposed them to a panoply of sexually transmitted diseases that could affect their health and their futures. Additionally, Judge Hittner noted that while the case against Anderson centered on the harboring of two minors for commercial sex, his illegal activity involved at least three other minor victims. The court further found that the U. S. Sentencing Guidelines did not adequately account for Anderson’s past criminal history including an adjudication for attempted murder as a minor and his having committed this offense while on supervised release for an armed robbery committed in the Eastern District of California.

During the five-day trial that resulted in Anderson’s conviction in September 2006, the jury heard testimony that proved that in 2005, Anderson had knowingly preyed on the vulnerabilities of two underage teenagers and caused them to engage in prostitution claiming all of the profits for himself. Anderson recruited the two minors ages 15 and 14 – by lavishing them with affection and attention, something both had lived without for years. Each of the young girls had suffered abandonment by their parents and other adults due to their being jail or using drugs, and had been living on the streets for some time when Anderson approached them. The two minors testified at trial that they gave all of the money they received from prostitution to Anderson. The oldest minor testified she could make as much as $600 a night, all of which she gave to Anderson. The 14-year-old, a runaway from Beaumont, told the jury when asked why she was with a man like Anderson, that he made her feel liked, maybe even loved, something she had not felt at home.

Anderson has been in custody since his arrest in early 2006. At the time of his arrest, Anderson was serving a term of supervised release for an armed robbery conviction from the Eastern District of California. Because of this conviction the Court revoked his term of supervised release and imposed an additional 36 months which will be served concurrent with the 262 months imposed for his conviction. Anderson will remain in U.S. Marshal custody until he is transferred to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

The investigation leading to the charges against Anderson was conducted by special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation as part of the Department of Justice’s Innocence Lost Initiative. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U. S. Attorney Bertram Isaacs.

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