HOUSTON—
A Houston man was sentenced Friday to more than 30 years in federal prison for sex trafficking thanks in part to the FBI, Pasadena ISD Police and Project Safe Childhood.Barry Lernard Davis, also known as Sir Lewis, was sentenced to 405 months for sex trafficking of a minor, transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity and coercion and enticement of an adult to engage in criminal sexual activity.
According to officials, Davis was convicted by a jury in March after a three-day trial and an hour and a half of deliberation.
Sentencing came down Friday when U.S. District Judge Melinda Harmon, who presided over the trial, sentenced Davis to 405 months on each of the first two counts of conviction and 240 months on count three, to be served concurrently. "The 405-month sentence will be followed by a lifetime on supervised release," a press release from United States Attorney José Angel Moreno announced Friday.
Davis has been in federal custody since his arrest in July 2009, where he will remain to serve his sentence.
According to officials, Davis was accused of enticing his victims with "promises of shelter, food and material possessions."
He would get his victims under his wing, then control them using physical violence, sexual violence, and death threats.
During Davis' trial, the jury heard from a victim who was convinced by Davis to turn to a life of prostitution. She was a 16-year-old high school at the time who had been reported missing.
The victim told the jury that Davis used nude photographs of her to advertise his prostitution services online. She said he drove her across state lines and forced her to have sex with men for money in a New Orleans hotel.
"She said that at the time of the incidents, Davis not only knew she was 16, but also that she was pregnant. Moreover, the minor testified she feared Davis," Moreno's office said.
Another victim testified that she was brutally beaten by Davis on numerous occasions. At one time, he even broke her nose, then forced her to have sex with someone minutes later.
She told the jury Davis "put a gun to her head" and said he would "hunt her down and kill her" if she ever left him, Moreno's office said.
The woman shed light on the sex trafficking underworld, filled with pimps and prostitutes. She described the "rules" adhered to by pimps and prostitutes, and how every penny she and other victim earned was taken and kept by Davis.
Davis' behavior led investigators to believe he was "fully engaged in the world of pimps and prostitutes," Moreno's office said.
According to officials, Davis even had his name or initials tattooed onto both victims against their will -- a common underworld practice known as "branding."
Additional nails in Davis' legal coffin were pictures of both victims found on his computer, plus hotel records and photos verifying that Davis traveled with the victims out of state.
The underage victim's mother testified Friday about the hold Davis has on her daughter and how traumatic the experience has been for their entire family -- an expected reaction to the trafficking of children for sex, officials said.
The case against Davis was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood and Innocence Lost -- two nationwide initiatives designed to protect children from online exploitation and domestic sex trafficking.
The Innocence Lost national initiative specifically addresses the growing problem of domestic sex trafficking of children in the U.S. It was launched In June 2003 by the FBI, Department of Justice Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. To date, the initiative has led to the rescue of more than 1,200 children and the conviction of more than 600 pimps, madams and their prostitution associates.
Project Safe Childhood was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation. The project is led by United States Attorneys' Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources. Their goal is to identify and rescue victims. They also work to improve and expedite the location, apprehension and prosecution of people who exploit children on the Internet.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
