JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Houston man was sentenced to eight years in prison for bringing women to Jacksonville for prostitution, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced Thursday.
Erwin Phillips Burley, 29, pleaded guilty on May 9 last year.
U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard also ordered Burley to pay restitution to his victims.
In July 2016, law enforcement officers received information that Burley was offering women for prostitution in the Jacksonville area. Police identified a woman who said she had been picked up in New Orleans and was brought to Jacksonville to engage in prostitution for Burley.
“This defendant exploited the victim for his own benefit,” said Charles P. Spencer, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Jacksonville Division. “Human trafficking offenders, like this, pose a threat to the overall safety of our communities, and the FBI is committed to working tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to identify these predators and seek justice for the heinous acts they commit."
The case was investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.