A federal judge in Oklahoma has sentenced a Wichita man to prison for convictions of sex trafficking and witness tampering. A jury in Tulsa had convicted 37-year-old Byron Cordell Thomas on nine counts.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Oklahoma said Thomas maintained hotel rooms in Wichita, Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Dallas and Bossier City, Louisiana for trafficking and prostitution. Prosecutors said he recruited young victims to work as prostitutes and they were subjected to beatings and isolation as they were trafficked across state lines for prostitution. Thomas was involved in these activities from 2019 to 2022, and prosecutors said he subjected the victims to threats and intimidation, even during the investigation by law enforcement.
