A 16-year-old girl who was lured into one of Houston’s notorious neighborhoods for sex trafficking, found a moment of courage that helped bring down her abuser and an entire sex trafficking ring.
Like a lot of predatory sex crimes, this one started on social media.
Recommended Videos
In October of 2019, Andres Portillo, a 25-year-old member of the Forum Park Crips street, found the teen online. He gained her trust and then forced her to perform sex acts for money in cars and motels along the Bissonnet “blade,” which was then an infamous stretch of road near the Southwest Freeway where pimps and traffickers routinely sent their victims to work the streets.
When she wasn’t forced to do that, she was held captive at a home where she was repeatedly physically and sexually assaulted, according to the Department of Justice.
At one point, the teen was able to hide and call her mom. That led to her rescue and ultimately to the unraveling of a sex trafficking ring that involved Portillo and five other men.
This week, Portillo was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison. The judge told the courtroom Portillo had ruined lives and the only thing he seemed remorseful for was the fact that he got caught.
Five co-conspirators -- Michael Anthony Gonzalez, Jerreck Hilliard, Damarquis McGee, Javon Opoku and Clarence Chambers -- were previously convicted for their roles and sentenced to between 20 and 35 years.