DALLAS — A DeSoto man who authorities say sex trafficked women for more than a decade was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
According to a news release, Phillip Jay Curlett, 34, pleaded guilty in October 2023 to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking through force, fraud and coercion. He was sentenced in Dallas on Feb. 16.
According to court documents, one victim said when she first met Curlett, he gave her a fake name and asked her to spend the night with him. She consented because she believed they were "embarking on a dating relationship."
Curlett then drove her to a local motel and ordered her to “go to work.” The documents state, that same night was when she met her first two commercial sex customers.
Prosecutors say Curlett advertised the victim’s sex services online and forced her to turn her proceeds over to him, threatening to hurt her if she did not make enough money for him. He forced her to use methamphetamine so that she could stay awake to maximize profits, and assaulted her on multiple occasions, including after she tried to leave.
“Human trafficking is one of the most egregious crimes the HSI investigates,” said Homeland Security Investigations Dallas Special Agent in Charge Lester R. Hayes Jr. “HSI’s role is simple; we will find and prosecute those who force victims into this degrading and inhumane lifestyle.”
Homeland Security Investigations investigated with the assistance of the North Texas Trafficking Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandie Wade prosecuted the case.
