HOUSTON - A federal grand jury has indicted a 31-year-old Missouri City man for allegedly trafficking a 12-year old girl, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez.
Eddie Larue is expected to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Dena Hanovice Palermo at 10:00 a.m. today.
According to the indictment returned last week, Larue allegedly recruited a 12-year old girl to engage in commercial sex acts for money along the 1.3 mile stretch of Bissonnet St., commonly referred to as “The Track." Larue also allegedly used force and threats of force to compel his victim into prostitution and took all of the money she received.
If convicted, Larue faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and up to life in federal prison as well as a $250,000 fine.
The Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance (HTRA) conducted the investigation. HTRA law enforcement includes members of the FBI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, Houston Police Department, sheriff’s offices in Harris and Montgomery counties, Texas Alcoholic and Beverage Commission, Texas Attorney General’s Office, Department of State, Department of Labor, IRS and the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Established in 2004, the United States Attorney’s office in Houston formed the 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 a national model in identifying and assisting victims of human trafficking and prosecuting those engaged in trafficking offenses.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sebastian Edwards and Sharad Khandelwal are prosecuting this case.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence.
A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
