Sex-trafficking Crips member sentenced to 30 years in prison

HOUSTON - A 25-year-old member of the Forum Park Crips has been ordered to federal prison for sex trafficking a 16-year-old minor.

Andres Serrano Portillo a/k/a Andro pleaded guilty July 11, 2022.

U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks Jr. has now ordered Portillo to serve 360 months in federal prison. At the hearing, the court heard information and evidence detailing Portillo's exploitation of the minor victim.

In handing down the sentence, the court noted that Portillo had ruined lives and only appeared remorseful because law enforcement apprehended him. He was further ordered to serve 10 years on supervised release following the completion of his prison term. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. He will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.

In October 2019, Portillo lured a 16-year-old girl he met on social media and forced her to engage in sex acts for money in cars and motels around the Bissonnet "blade" or "track." In addition to trafficking the teenage victim for commercial sex, Portillo held her at a residence where she was repeatedly physically and sexually assaulted. The victim ultimately hid and contacted her mother by phone, leading authorities to rescue her.

The "blade" is an area near I-59 Southwest Freeway and Bissonnet Street in Houston where pimps and traffickers commonly place their victims to engage in commercial sex.

Co-conspirators Michael Anthony Gonzalez a/k/a Mumbles, 29, Jerreck Michael Hilliard a/k/a J-money, 37, Damarquis McGee a/k/a Blue, 28, Javon Yaw Opoku a/k/a Glizzy, 26, and Clarence Christopher Chambers a/k/a Chris, 34, all of Houston, were previously sentenced to 240, 292, 348, 365, and 420 months in prison, respectively, for their roles in the sex trafficking conspiracy.

Portillo will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kate Suh, Anthony Franklyn, and former AUSA Richard W. Bennett prosecuted the case.

The Houston Police Department conducted the investigation with the assistance of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations and Harris County District Attorney's Office as part of the Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance (HTRA).

HTRA law enforcement also includes members of the FBI, Texas Attorney General's Office, IRS Criminal Investigation, Department of Labor, Department of State, Texas Alcoholic and Beverage Commission, Texas Department of Public Safety, Department of Homeland Security - Office of Inspector General, Social Security Administration - Office of Inspector General, and Sheriff's Offices in Harris and Montgomery counties in coordination with District Attorney's offices in Montgomery and Fort Bend Counties.

The United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas formed HTRA in 2004 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 both a national and international model in identifying and assisting victims of human trafficking and prosecuting those engaged in trafficking offenses.