Brian Wright, 40, of Philadelphia, PA, was sentenced to 21 years and 10 months in prison today following his guilty plea to three counts of sex trafficking by force, announced US Attorney Zane David Memeger. The Honorable C. Darnell Jones II also sentenced Wright to 20 years' supervised release, and to pay a $5000 fine, $631,000 in restitution jointly and severally with his co-defendants, and a $300 special assessment.
In the same case, Judge Jones also sentenced Renato Teixeira, 26, of Philadelphia, following his guilty plea to three counts of sex trafficking by force, to 8 1/2 years in prison, 20 years' supervised release, and to pay a $1000 fine, $631,500 in restitution jointly and severally with his co-defendants, and a $300 special assessment.
According to court testimony, between 2010 and 2013, the defendant and his three co-defendants operated a prostitution website known as "Passionate Touch," which advertised females whom the defendants harbored in a brothel at a leased property in West Philadelphia known as "Club Passions." At that location, they caused numerous females ages 18-19 to engage in prostitution through the use of sadistic acts of torture and sexual violence. The defendants recruited the young women by passing out business cards on the streets of West Philadelphia offering the opportunity to earn money through striptease dancing. Co-defendant Kevino Graham then kept all of the women's earnings from prostitution. Co-defendants Kevino Graham and Raffael Robinson were convicted by a jury in February 2016 and await sentencing.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with the assistance of the Philadelphia Police Department Special Victim's Unit and the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle L. Morgan.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
