In October 2023, Juwan James Davis, a 28-year-old Houston man, was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison following his conviction for sex trafficking a 13-year-old girl. The conviction was a result of a five-year investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Houston and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.
The investigation began in February 2018 after authorities suspected Davis had trafficked a minor for sex. The victim was a 13-year-old girl who told authorities she met Davis on Snapchat, where he told her he wanted her to have sex for money. Davis posted ads of her wearing lingerie on Backpage to advertise her for commercial sex.
The victim told investigators Davis drove her to hotels and waited nearby while she engaged in commercial sex with customers. Once finished, the victim would contact Davis, who would pick her up and take the money. The victim also reported that Davis supplied her with drugs and had her “branded” by taking her to get a tattoo with his initials.
When law enforcement obtained a search warrant for Davis’s phone, they found communications between him and the victim in which they discuss her engaging in commercial sex. Also found were several pictures of the victim, some of which were used in the Backpage ads, including pictures of the 7th grader with a tattoo of Davis’s initials on her buttocks. Four years later, Davis also tried to manipulate and control the minor victim by contacting her from jail and attempting to get her to drop the charges.
Tragically, the victim passed away earlier this year at the age of 18.
HSI Houston conducted the investigation as part of the Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance , which includes the Houston Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, HSI, the Texas Attorney General’s Office, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Division, Department of Labor – Wage and Hour Division, Department of State, Texas Alcoholic and Beverage Commission, Texas Department of Public Safety, Department of Homeland Security – Office of Inspector General (OIG), Social Security Administration – OIG, and Sheriff’s Offices in Harris and Montgomery counties in coordination with District Attorney’s offices in Harris, Montgomery, and Fort Bend Counties.
