Texas man trafficking minors in Houston, Dallas sentenced to federal prison
LIVINGSTON, TEXAS - JULY 14: The TDCJ Allan B. Polunsky Unit sits in the distance July 14, 2018 in Livingston. Christopher Young, who is on death row there for the 2004 murder of Hasmukhbhai Patel, an owner of a San Antonio mini-mart, is scheduled to
HOUSTON - A 23-year-old Houston man has been sentenced to 32 years in federal prison for sex trafficking and enticing minors across Texas, federal prosecutors announced.
Sentence issued
What we know:
Cristian Morris was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Alfred H. Bennett to 384 months behind bars, followed by 15 years of supervised release. Morris will also be required to register as a sex offender and face strict restrictions regarding internet use and contact with children.
In handing down the sentence, Bennett called sex trafficking a horrible crime, noting it is made worse when minors are involved and that the victims were effectively sentenced to a lifetime of terrible memories.
A federal jury convicted Morris in March 2025 on two counts of sex trafficking of minors and one count of coercion and enticement of a minor following a three-day trial.
The backstory:
From January to June 2023, Morris recruited teenage girls, gave them drugs, and posted sexually explicit advertisements offering them for commercial sex, according to evidence presented in court.
Prosecutors said Morris forced the teenagers to engage in sex acts at hotels near "the blade," street slang for areas known for high volumes of commercial sex trafficking. Morris operated across two major Texas hubs: near the Interstate 59 Southwest Freeway and Bissonnet Street in Houston, and along Harry Hines Boulevard in Dallas.
During the trial, three victims testified that Morris transported them between Houston and Dallas, instructed them on how to solicit clients, dictated pricing, and kept all the proceeds. Law enforcement arrested Morris on June 23, 2023, after he posted a commercial sex advertisement featuring his youngest victim, a 15-year-old runaway.
Defense attorneys tried to argue at trial that the victims were simply a group of runaways and school dropouts engaging in bad behavior, a claim the jury rejected.
What's next:
Morris will remain in custody until he is transferred to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility.
The Source: Information in this article is from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Texas.