TULSA, Okla. (KWCH) – A district court judge in Tulsa, Okla., sentenced a 37-year-old Wichita man to 30 years (360 months) in prison after being convicted of sex trafficking and forgery. witnesses.

In Augusta 2023, a jury found Byron Cordell Thomas guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, two counts of witness tampering by corrupt persuasion, four counts of transporting a person for prostitution and two counts of forcible sex trafficking, fraud. or coercion.

A news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma said that between 2019 and 2022, “Thomas engaged in the recruitment of young and vulnerable victims to work under his direction as prostitutes.”

“He targeted the victim’s financial difficulties or addiction problems and sold a dream of a safe or sober environment just to lure them. Thomas would transport victims across state lines, instructed them to avoid the police and how to recruit others for him. He retained complete control of the money earned through physical violence or physiological coercion,” the US Attorney’s Office explained.

Federal prosecutors said Thomas maintained hotel rooms in Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Dallas, Bossier City, La. and Wichita for harboring victims and running an operation involving trafficking and prostitution.

One of the women identified as victims in the case told police that Thomas and another victim picked her up in Topeka and drove her to Tulsa, where she was forced into prostitution and not allowed to leave.

Last summer, a jury deliberated for about two hours before convicting Thomas of nine criminal charges.

“The victims in this case were beaten, isolated and trafficked across state lines for prostitution. They suffered threats and intimidation from Thomas even during the investigation, U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson said following the jury’s decision. “I want to thank our law enforcement partners for their long and robust investigation of this case and the victims for their courageous testimony that made this conviction possible.”

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