2 men guilty of trafficking troubled teenager

HOUSTON – Two Houstonians have admitted to recruiting a teenager on social media and trafficking her for sex, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick. 

In 2017, Demetrius Delaan White, 28, and Deonte Danquise Bailey-Roach, 27, recruited a troubled teenager on social media. They then brought her from her home in Stephenville to Houston to engage in commercial sex acts.

For three days, they posted the minor victim on internet advertisements for commercial sex, during which time more than 300 people expressed an interest. They rented motel rooms for the sex acts, drove her to clients’ homes and took her to a truck stop. They also had her walk on Bissonnet Street, an area commonly known for an open and rampant sex trade.

To induce the minor victim into continuing to engage in the activity, both men gave her ecstasy drugs before the commercial sex acts. They also kept all the cash proceeds.

U.S. District Judge Kenneth M. Hoyt accepted the pleas and will impose sentencing April 13. At that time, White and Bailey-Roach faces up to life in prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.

They have been and will remain in custody pending that hearing.  

The FBI and the Houston Police Department, both part of the Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance (HTRA), conducted the investigation.

HTRA law enforcement includes members of the Houston Police Department, FBI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, Texas Attorney General’s Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation, Department of Labor, Department of State, Texas Alcoholic and Beverage Commission, Texas Department of Public Safety, Coast Guard and Sheriff’s Offices in Harris and Montgomery counties in coordination with District Attorney’s offices in Harris, Montgomery and Fort Bend Counties.

Established in 2004, the United States Attorney’s office in Houston formed HTRA to combine resources with federal, state and local enforcement agencies and prosecutors, as well as non-governmental service organizations to target human traffickers while providing necessary services to those that the traffickers victimized. Since its inception, HTRA has been recognized as both a national and international model in identifying and assisting victims of human trafficking and prosecuting those engaged in trafficking offenses.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kate Suh and Sebastian Edwards are prosecuting the case.