21-year-old ‘predator’ forced 16-year-old into commercial sex acts, feds say. ‘Evil’
CLARIFICATION: Federal prosecutors on Aug. 15 corrected an earlier news release about the number of years Antonio Dario Osorio-Avelar was sentenced to serve in prison. He will serve 375 months, or just over 31 years, in prison, prosecutors said. The U.S. Attorney’s Office also corrected the spelling of Osorio-Avelar.
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A 21-year-old man will spend the next 31 years in prison after he was convicted of forcing a 16-year-old girl to engage in commercial sex acts, requiring her to meet a $500 “quota” each night, federal officials said.
Antonio Dario Osorio-Avelar, also known as “Pressure,” pleaded guilty in April 2023 to sex trafficking a minor and was sentenced to 375 months in prison with a 15-year supervised release on Aug. 14, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas said in a news release.
Osorio-Avelar’s attorneys did not immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment on Aug. 15.
Osorio-Avelar was known as a “dangerous predator” in Houston, officials said, often using “physical and sexual abuse, threats of violence and psychological manipulation to groom and control a minor victim and force her to engage in commercial sex for his own profit.”
Through another woman engaging in commercial sex acts, the 16-year-old and Osorio-Avelar met in Dallas in January 2023, according to officials. The teen had been engaging in commercial sex acts for another “pimp,” officials said, before she was recruited by Osorio-Avelar.
The man knew the girl was under the age of 18 while forcing her into sex acts, according to court documents.
Under the 21-year-old man’s control, the teen engaged in sex acts with “clientele” for one night in Dallas before Osorio-Avelar drove the teen and another minor to Houston, according to officials.
In Houston, the teen was made to “walk the Blade,” a “notorious” area in Houston for prostitution, U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani said in a news release.
Prosecutors said the man controlled every aspect of the 16-year-old girl’s life. He provided her with a phone and tracked her location, purchased condoms and clothing for her to wear on “dates” and controlled when she ate, slept and worked, according to the news release and court documents.
The 16-year-old would have to meet a $500 “quota” each night while engaging in commercial sex acts, according to the affidavit.
Additionally, Osorio-Avelar forced the teen to advertise herself on a website known for commercial sex and sexually explicit content, according to the affidavit.
“He also had the minor victim record videos of herself engaging in sex acts and sell them,” prosecutors said in a news release. “Osori(o)-Avelar took all proceeds.”
The teen gave court testimony detailing how the 21-year-old man’s control destroyed her relationships with her family, prosecutors said.
Investigators said Osorio-Avelar trafficked the teen from Jan. 6, 2023, to Jan. 26.
During criminal proceedings, the man “attempted to claim immaturity,” according to the news release. However, U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks noted, “he still knew what he was doing,” during his sentencing hearing.
“There is a difference between immaturity and evil, and Osorio-Avelar is evil,” Hamdani said in a news release. “Those like Osorio-Avelar who take what they want by means of force or intimidation will never acquiesce to societal norms.
This story was originally published August 15, 2024 at 9:48 AM with the headline "21-year-old ‘predator’ forced 16-year-old into commercial sex acts, feds say. ‘Evil’."
