(Michael Ciaglo / Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
HOUSTON - A 25-year-old member of the Forum Park Crips street gang was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for sex trafficking a 16-year-old girl along a notorious Houston commercial sex strip, federal prosecutors announced.
Gang member sentenced
What we know:
Andres Serrano Portillo, also known as "Andro," was sentenced to 360 months in prison by U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks Jr., according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas. Following his prison term, Portillo must serve 10 years of supervised release, register as a sex offender, and abide by strict restrictions on his internet and child access.
Portillo pleaded guilty to the charges in July 2022.
During sentencing, Judge Hanks noted that Portillo had ruined lives and only displayed remorse after being apprehended by law enforcement.
The backstory:
Court documents show that in October 2019, Portillo met the 16-year-old victim on social media, lured her, and forced her into commercial sex acts in cars and motels surrounding the "Bissonnet Track"—an area near Interstate 59 and Bissonnet Street heavily associated with prostitution and sex trafficking.
Prosecutors said Portillo also held the girl at a home where she was repeatedly physically and sexually assaulted before she managed to hide, call her mother, and prompt a law enforcement rescue.
Five co-conspirators were previously sentenced to federal prison terms ranging from 20 to 35 years for their roles in the sex trafficking ring:
- Michael Anthony Gonzalez, 29, sentenced to 240 months
- Jerreck Michael Hilliard, 37, sentenced to 292 months
- Damarquis McGee, 28, sentenced to 348 months
- Javon Yaw Opoku, 26, sentenced to 365 months
- Clarence Christopher Chambers, 34, sentenced to 420 months
The case was investigated by the Houston Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office as part of the Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance.
Portillo remains in custody awaiting transfer 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.