HOUSTON — A Houston man was sentenced to 32 years in federal prison for trafficking teenage girls and enticing a minor into commercial sex, federal prosecutors announced.
Cristian Morris, 23, received a 384-month prison sentence after a federal jury convicted him in March 2025 of two counts of sex trafficking minors and one count of coercion and enticement of a minor.
U.S. District Judge Alfred H. Bennett also ordered Morris to serve 15 years of supervised release following his prison term and register as a sex offender.
Quick Facts
- Defendant: Cristian Morris
- Age: 23
- City: Houston, Texas
- Sentence: 384 months (32 years) in federal prison
- Supervised Release: 180 months (15 years)
- Convictions: Two counts of sex trafficking minors; coercion and enticement of a minor
- Victims: Three teenage girls, including a 15-year-old runaway
- Criminal Conduct: Jan. 1–June 23, 2023
- Arrest Date: June 23, 2023
- Judge: Alfred H. Bennett
- Investigating Agencies: Federal Bureau of Investigation and Houston Police Department
- Prosecutors: Lauren Valenti and Kimberly Leo
- Case Outcome: Guilty verdict after three-day federal trial and less than two days of jury deliberations.
During sentencing, Bennett described sex trafficking as a horrific crime made even worse when minors are involved, noting the victims would carry the trauma for the rest of their lives.
According to trial evidence, Morris recruited teenage girls between January and June 2023, supplied them with drugs and posted sexually explicit online advertisements offering them for commercial sex. Prosecutors said he forced the victims to engage in sex acts with clients at hotels near known prostitution corridors in Houston and Dallas.
The Houston area known as the “blade” is located near the Southwest Freeway and Bissonnet Street, while the Dallas blade is centered along Harry Hines Boulevard. Both areas are known locations where traffickers exploit victims for commercial sex.
Jurors heard testimony from three victims who said Morris taught them how to solicit customers, set prices and provided condoms. Evidence showed he transported the girls between Houston and Dallas and kept all proceeds from the commercial sex acts.
Authorities arrested Morris on June 23, 2023, after investigators discovered he had posted online sex advertisements for the youngest victim, a 15-year-old runaway.
Defense attorneys argued the victims were runaways and school dropouts engaged in bad behavior, but jurors rejected that argument and returned guilty verdicts on all counts.
Morris will remain in custody pending transfer to a federal prison. The investigation was conducted by the FBI and the Houston Police Department as part of the Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren Valenti and Kimberly Leo prosecuted the case.