The “King of Bissonnet” convicted of sex trafficking four women in Houston

HOUSTON – Larry “Lavish” Lewis was convicted of sex trafficking women by force and coercion, and taking them across state lines for prostitution, according to U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

The 48-year-old will have to serve 40 years in prison immediately followed by 10 years of supervised release. Lewis was convicted in October 2023 by a Houston jury after about three hours of deliberation, following a six-day trial.

“Today, the victims of Lewis’ heinous crimes finally received the answer they have been waiting for for years,” Hamdani said. “The message that the court delivered in its sentence is clear: traffickers do not profit from the sale of victims' bodies. They cannot use drugs, beatings and threats to force others into prostitution Traffickers, like Lewis, are not welcome in the Southern District of Texas, or anywhere outside of a federal penitentiary, and my office will make sure of that.

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Lewis, who operated in the Bissonnet Street area of ​​Houston and various cities in Texas and Louisiana, used physical force to coerce four women into prostitution. The jury also found that he forced them to cross state lines for prostitution.

During the trial, the victims testified that Lewis recruited them with false promises of financial stability and a better life. He confiscated two women's ID cards and maintained strict control over access to their hotel rooms, making them entirely dependent on him for basic necessities such as food and shelter. Women were required to turn over all their earnings from the sex trade to Lewis, who dictated their locations and hours of work.

According to victims, failure to follow Lewis's rules had serious consequences. One victim described being kicked in the head and against a window for allegedly disrespecting him. In another incident, the same victim was whipped with an electrical cord after trying to escape using Lewis' vehicle. Another victim described how Lewis broke his ribs and inflicted multiple blows, leaving his body covered in bruises.

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The U.S. Attorney's Office says the jury was not convinced by the defense's claims that the women sought Lewis for his marketing expertise in the sex industry.

Lewis has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined shortly.

Assistant United States Attorneys Sebastian A. Edwards and Christine Lu are prosecuting the case.