FBI: Man sentenced to almost 20 years for trafficking teen runaway in Houston
A Louisiana man has received a nearly 20-year prison sentence for forcing a runaway teen into prostitution in Houston, according to the FBI.
2019 arrest
The backstory:
Officials say 39-year-old Isiah Lee Campbell Jr. was arrested in 2019.
During a three-week span that year, Campbell drove a then 16-year-old girl from Louisiana to Houston multiple times for her to engage in sex with men. Campbell also posted the victim on a website advertising prostitution.
On June 6, 2019, Harris County law enforcement stopped Campbell since he was driving a reported stolen vehicle.
The victim was in the car and officials identified her as a runaway from Louisiana. According to the FBI, the teen said Campbell threatened to kill her if she didn't do what he said. He also took all the money that she earned and sexually assaulted her multiple times.
Final sentencing
What's next:
Campbell has been sentenced for transportation of a child to engage in criminal sexual activity and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He pleaded guilty in July 2024.
Campbell has been ordered to serve 235 months (19.5 years) in federal prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release. He'll remain in custody until he's transferred to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility in the near future.