‘Horrific’: North Texas child sex trafficker forced teen girls into prostitution
A 42-year-old North Texas man faces life in federal prison for “horrific” sex-trafficking of teenage girls whom he beat, drugged and raped.
Anjum Zafar Mian of DeSoto coerced at least two girls, ages 16 and 17, into commercial sex by threatening to harm their family if they didn’t comply, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
He also brought a 17-year-old girl from Oklahoma to Texas to engage in commercial sex and refused to let her return home.
Mian was convicted Wednesday of crimes including four counts of sex trafficking of a minor, three counts of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor, two counts of sexual exploitation of a child and one count of transporting a minor across state lines for prostitution.
Victims testified that Mian gave them drugs and alcohol, raped them while they were unconscious and “used explicit photos of them to advertise their sexual service online,” according to prosecutors.
“This man threatened, beat, drugged and raped these girls — mere children — so that he could make money,” U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton said in a statement. “That is the horrific truth of human trafficking, and it’s happening in our backyard.”
An adult woman whom Mian tried to traffick from Oklahoma called police after he assaulted her, officials said.
Mian was also charged with two counts of sex trafficking through force, fraud and coercion; two counts of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking through force, fraud and coercion; and one count of interstate transportation for prostitution.
He is set to be sentenced Oct. 13 in Fort Worth and faces up to life in federal prison for the 15 counts.
The Arlington Police Department conducted the investigation in conjunction with Homeland Security Investigations’ Dallas Field Office and with the assistance of the Dallas Police Department, DeSoto Police Department, Fort Worth Police Department and Texas Department of Public Safety.
Simonton said the Department of Justice will not rest in their fight to stop to human trafficking.
“These victims are hiding in plain sight,” she said. “Please, if you suspect trafficking, reach out to law enforcement.”
If you believe you or someone you know may be a victim of human trafficking, call local law enforcement or the 24/7 confidential National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
This story was originally published June 16, 2023 at 9:59 AM.
