Pimps threatened to kill Fort Worth teen if she talked about sex trafficking, records show
A 13-year-old Fort Worth girl was sold for at least two days for sex at an Irving hotel in November 2019, attracting several men who each spent 15 to 20 minutes in a room with her.
Each time a man left her room, Curtis Vance Mathis of Keller, who was considered the girl’s pimp, went to the hotel room to collect the money that clients had paid for commercial sex acts, according to a federal criminal complaint.
The girl was later rescued in November 2019 and told authorities that she feared for her safety because her traffickers said they would shoot and kill her if she cooperated with law enforcement.
The 13-year-old also indicated that several people were involved in trafficking her over an extended period of time, according to the federal document.
Mathis, 36, was arrested in November 2019 just after the girl was rescued by authorities.
On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Ed Kinkeade sentenced Mathis to 135 months in a federal prison.
Mathis had been indicted in December 2019 and pleaded guilty to sex trafficking of children in June 2021.
The criminal complaint obtained by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram provided these details in the case:
In September 2019, the then 13-year-old Fort Worth girl went missing from her family. Her mother dropped her off to a Fort Worth middle school, but school officials later notified her that her daughter never arrived for class.
Mathis rented a room at the Arya Inn & Suites in Irving on Nov. 4, 2019. Surveillance video showed that the 13-year-old girl was with Mathis
Initially, Mathis and the teen were given room 201, but the Keller man later approached the manager and stated that the room was too small. Mathis was relocated to room 202.
Law enforcement officials later determined that Mathis advertised the 13-year-old girl’s sexual services on numerous commercial sex websites, including CityXGuide, a site the feds seized in summer 2020, according to federal court records.
The CityXGuide’s owner, Wilhan Martono, subsequently pleaded guilty to reckless disregard of sex trafficking and conspiracy to engage in interstate transportation in aid of racketeering and is awaiting sentencing. CityXGuide remains out of commission.
For two days, men went to room 202 for sex with the girl. After each man left, Mathis returned to the room to collect money for the sex service.
On one of those days, Fort Worth detectives saw a commercial sex advertisement posted on CityXGuide with the 13-year-old girl’s photograph on it.
Detectives began texting the phone number in an effort to arrange a meeting with the 13-year-old to rescue her.
At 2 p.m. on Nov. 5, 2019, an undercover officer posting as a commercial sex customer went to room 202 at the Irving hotel and rescued her. She was the only one in the room at the time.
Detectives later obtained surveillance video at the hotel and observed several men going to room 202 for commercial sex dates.
After the girl was rescued, Fort Worth detectives obtained a search warrant for room 202 and seized several commercial sex-trafficking items that included used and unused condoms, lubricants, baby wipes, lingerie and medications to treat urinary tract infections and sexually transmitted infections. Several hundred dollars in cash also were found hidden in a dresser drawer.
At the time she was recovered, the teen had a cell phone and as detectives searched room 202, the phone continued to receive numerous text messages from commercial sex customers, seeking dates and requesting the prices for commercial sex acts.
The federal court document stated that one person who identified himself as “Monkey” sent several text messages, asking the teen if she continued to “hit licks” and “make dat money,” which was a way to describe commercial sex dates.
This story was originally published August 26, 2022 at 5:55 PM.
