ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) – A 34-year-old Rockford man has been sentenced to more than three decades behind bars for sex trafficking.

Travis Thomas, 34, was found guilty by a jury in June of coercing and transporting a victim across state lines to engage in prostitution. On Friday, U.S. District Judge John Tharp Jr. sentenced Thomas to 420 months or 35 years in federal prison.

Between November 2017 and April 2018, investigators say Thomas acted as the victim’s pimp, targeting her, supplying her with crack cocaine and manipulating her drug addiction to force her to have sex with others for his own financial gain.

Prosecutors say Thomas took the victim to hotels in Rockford, Wisconsin and Texas, where she was forced into prostitution.

Thomas kept all the money from the sex acts for himself, spending it on things like a new vehicle, gambling, clothing and food.

To maintain control over the victim, Thomas took her credit cards, filed fraudulent tax returns and insurance claims in her name, emptied her bank accounts and sold her possessions while promising to love her and provide a better life. He used and threatened physical violence against the victim, according to federal prosecutors.

The victim managed to escape in April 2018 with the help of a good Samaritan who took her to the hospital after being severely beaten by Thomas. A nurse at the hospital called the police after identifying her as a sex-trafficking victim.

If you believe you or someone you know may be a victim of human trafficking, please contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.

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