A 21-year-old Houston man will spend 31 years and three months in federal prison for sex trafficking of a 16-year-old girl, the U.S. Department of Justice said.

Antonio Dario Osoria-Avelar, aka “Pressure,” pleaded guilty on April 18, 2023, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas Alamdar S. Hamdani said in a press release Wednesday.

U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks Jr. sentenced Osoria-Avelar to 375 months in prison. During the sentencing, the court heard that Osoria-Avelar “handed over” another underage victim to a criminal accomplice, the press release said.

“Osoria-Avelar claimed that immaturity led him to force a 16-year-old to walk through the Blade, a notorious neighborhood known for prostitution. There is a difference between immaturity and evil, and Osoria-Avelar is evil,” Hamdani said in the press release. “Anyone like Osoria-Avelar who uses violence or intimidation to get what they want will never submit to societal norms. Judge Hanks’ 30-plus year sentence protects society’s most vulnerable from predators like Osario-Avelar.”

The girl testified in court that Osoria-Avelar’s actions destroyed her relationships with her family. The judge noted that while Osoria-Avelar tried to accuse her of immaturity, he knew what he was doing when he manipulated people. The judge also said that Osoria-Avelar is a danger to those around him and that his actions will affect any relationship the victim has.

After his release from prison, Osoria-Avelar will serve 15 years of probation, must comply with conditions restricting his access to children and the Internet, and will be required to register as a sex offender.

A decision on the refund will be made at a later date, the press release said.

“With today’s verdict, we have removed from the community a dangerous sex offender who used physical and sexual abuse, threats of violence and psychological manipulation to manipulate and control a minor victim and coerce her into commercial sex for his own benefit,” Special Agent in Charge Mark Dawson of Homeland Security Investigations said in the press release.

“The unspeakable atrocities he committed to break her and control every aspect of her life are truly heinous, but unfortunately are all too common among traffickers. HSI remains committed to working with our law enforcement partners to aggressively pursue the heinous human trafficking organizations that exploit our most vulnerable populations and to help victims find the trauma-informed services they need to recover from their nightmare.”

Osoria-Avelar sold the girl for commercial sex in January 2023 when she was barely wearing any clothes despite the freezing cold, the news release said. After recruiting her in Dallas, he took her and a woman he controlled to Houston to have commercial sex, authorities said.

Osoria-Avelar manipulated the girl, gave her a phone to locate her and frequently displayed a gun in her presence, the press release said.

Osoria-Avelar supplied the girl with drugs and condoms while she was with him, authorities said. He dictated certain aspects of her life, including when she should eat, sleep and work. He gave her a $500 daily wage and forced her to run the “track” and appear in online advertisements for commercial sex.

When he wasn’t forcing her to engage in commercial sex, Osoria-Avelar himself engaged in violent sex with her, even though he knew she was only 16, the news release said. He also made the girl record and sell videos of herself performing sex acts, then kept all the proceeds, authorities said.

Osoria-Avelar is in custody and will remain there until he is transferred to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility, a decision on which transfer will be made shortly.

HSI investigated the case with assistance from the Houston Police Department and the Texas Juvenile Justice Department – ​​Office of Inspector General.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sherri L. Zack prosecuted the case.