Bissonnet 'blade' trafficker called 'Jmoney' forced young girls into sex acts
HOUSTON - A Houston man will serve a long prison term for his involvement in the sex trafficking of a minor, according to U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Jerreck Michael Hilliard, also known as 'Jmoney' pleaded guilty on Oct. 12, 2022, for his role in the trafficking operation.
U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks Jr. sentenced Hilliard to serve more than 24 years behind bars after evidence showed he played a pivotal role in teaching another person tactics of the "pimp game" which led to the exploitation of numerous vulnerable young girls and women through coercion and violence.
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Describing Hilliard as "every parent's worst nightmare," the court highlighted how the Houston man destroyed the victims’ lives for "nothing more than money" and their lives would never be the same.
In addition to the prison term, Hilliard was ordered to serve 10 years of supervised release, during which he will have restrictions on his interactions with children and internet usage. He is also required to register as a sex offender, with restitution to be determined at a later date.
"No little girl dreams of growing up and selling her body for money," said Hamdani. "Heinous things have happened to these victims that ultimately led them into the sights of the criminals who target and prey on them. What Hilliard did was reprehensible. It is no defense that a victim may have previously been involved in prostitution. Today, this victim blaming stops."
Klein ISD guardians react after teacher charged
*EDITORS NOTE: This video is from a previous story. A Klein ISD teacher faces charges for allegedly helping her son traffic students for sex at Klein Cain High School. FOX 26's Jonathan Mehia spoke with guardians who have children at the school to hear what they have to say.
Between April 2019 and February 2020, Hilliard and his associates operated within a sex trafficking conspiracy centered around the Bissonnet "blade" or "track", an area in Houston near I-59 Southwest Freeway and Bissonnet Street commonly frequented by pimps and traffickers.
Victims, primarily young teenage girls, were coerced into engaging in commercial sex acts with clients in cars and hotels under threat of violence and coercion. His co-conspirators also passed around or reassigned victims amongst one another, coached each other on the "pimp game" and forced the young girls to walk the area while the traffickers kept the proceeds.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, the young girls were not allowed to switch between pimps unless they were "beat out" or paid an exit fee. Some traffickers even required daily quotas each night from their victims and if they didn't meet it, they were severely punished through beatings and humiliation.
The investigation into Hilliard's activities was initiated by the Houston Police Department, with support from Homeland Security Investigations and the Harris County District Attorney's Office, as part of the Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance (HTRA).
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Richard Bennett, Kate Suh, and Anthony Franklyn are leading the prosecution of this case.
Hilliard will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility.