A Lexington, Kentucky, man has been sentenced to prison for his role in a sex trafficking scheme that also included drug and firearm trafficking in the area.
41-year-old Prince Bixler was sentenced to 36 years in prison after he was convicted of 15 federal felonies which included sex trafficking by force and coercion and witness tampering, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Thursday.
Bixler was found guilty in September of 2020 following a seven-day trial and seven hours of deliberations from the jury, the Lexington Herald Leader reported.
Bixler reportedly coerced at least three “young, drug addicted women” into the ring between 2013 and March 2018 by physically assaulting them and creating “a climate of fear,” the DOJ stated. He would also use the women to sell methamphetamines and other drugs in the Lexington area.
Lexington Man Sentenced to 36 Years in Prison for Sex Trafficking Multiple Victims: Prince Bixler of Lexington has been sentenced to 36 years in prison and ordered to pay $333,100 in restitution to three sex trafficking victims. https://t.co/JNraYFtazo
— FBI Louisville (@FBILouisville) February 25, 2021
“Prince Bixler preyed on vulnerable women, to operate a prostitution enterprise and sell illegal drugs in our community.” Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky Carlton S. Shier IV stated in the announcement. (RELATED: Advocacy Group Reveals Amazon, Netflix And Twitter As Among Major Facilitators Of Child Sexual Exploitation)
A search warrant was executed at Bixler’s residence in March of 2018, where numerous firearms were seized, the DOJ stated. He was prohibited from owning these weapons or processing others due to his stats as a felon.
During the investigation into Bixler’s activities in 2018 and 2019, he reportedly threatened to physically assault one witness to prevent her from testifying before a grand jury, the DOJ stated. He also called another witness on the eve of her testimony in an attempt to dissuade her from testifying truthfully.
“Mr. Bixler was simply a predator in our community.” Special Agent in Charge for the Louisville FBI office James Brown Jr. said in the announcement.
Bixler was also sentenced to 10 years of supervised release after his sentence was served, WTVQ reported. He was also ordered to pay $333,100 in restitution costs to three of his victims.