Convicted human trafficker convicted of recruiting girls to work in strip clubs and engaging in prostitution

Austin, Texas – A San Antonio man was sentenced by a jury to 35 years in prison on charges of human trafficking and 15 years for advocating aggravated prostitution.

Eric Laranze Taylor, 28, was arrested and charged in 2018 following a joint investigation by the Texas Liquor Commission, the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office, and the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.

In the summer of 2018, investigators received reports that the 16-year-old worked as a dancer at several sexually oriented businesses in Central Texas, including some licensed by TABC to sell alcohol, according to the agency.

The investigation revealed that the girl was recruited through social media by a man named Taylor to strip in various men’s clubs and engage in prostitution. Investigators also learned that he provided the teenager with fake identification documents to make it easier for her to work in clubs.

Evidence later unearthed showed that over the course of several months, Taylor recruited at least three underage and two 18-year-old women to come to San Antonio to live with him and work at strip clubs in San Antonio, Houston, and the surrounding area. Travis, reports TABC.

TABC reports that its agents have identified and charged several managers who hired underage dancers. One of the clubs, Blush Men’s Club in San Antonio, also had its liquor license revoked in 2019.

Details of the operation were also passed on to members of the Texas Legislature, who later passed the necessary legislation to prevent sexually oriented companies from hiring anyone under the age of 21 and requiring employers to use E-Verify and other tools to ensure that all workers are legal. age.