Two Philly Men Sentenced For Human Trafficking

Two Philadelphia men were recently sentenced to prison for human trafficking crimes, according to US Attorney Zane David Memeger.

Brian Wright, 40, was sentenced to 21 years and 10 months in prison today following his guilty plea to three counts of sex trafficking by force, Memeger said. Wright was also sentenced to 20 years' supervised release, and to pay a $5,000 fine, $631,000 in restitution jointly and severally with his co-defendants, and a $300 special assessment, according to Memeger's office.

Additionally, Renato Teixeira, 26, was sentenced following his guilty plea to three counts of sex trafficking by force, to eight and a half years in prison, 20 years' supervised release, and to pay a $1,000 fine, $631,500 in restitution jointly and severally with his co-defendants, and a $300 special assessment, Memeger's office said.

The Honorable C. Darnell Jones II presided over Wright and Teixeira's sentencing.

According to court testimony, between 2010 and 2013, the Wright and his three co-defendants – Teixeira, Kevino Graham, and Raffael Robinson – operated a prostitution website known as "Passionate Touch," which advertised females whom the defendants harbored in a brothel at a leased property in West Philadelphia known as "Club Passions," Memeger's office said.

At that location, the defendants caused numerous females ages 18-19 to engage in prostitution through the use of sadistic acts of torture and sexual violence, Memeger's office said.

The defendants recruited the young women by passing out business cards on the streets of West Philadelphia offering the opportunity to earn money through striptease dancing, Memeger's office said. Graham then kept all of the women's earnings from prostitution. Graham and Robinson were convicted by a jury in February 2016 and await sentencing, according to Memeger's office

This case was investigated by the FBI with the assistance of the Philadelphia Police Department Special Victim's Unit and the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office, Memeger's office said. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle L. Morgan, according to Memeger's office.

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