Deangelo Tate Gets 18 Years for Child Sex Trafficking

Deangelo Tate, 27, of Houston, is going away for 18 long years behind bars after being sentenced to 220 months in federal prison for sex trafficking of a minor. The sentence, handed down by U.S. District Judge Gray H. Miller in the Southern District of Texas, marks the end of a brutal exploitation scheme that preyed on a 17-year-old girl in Houston and Corpus Christi.

Tate pleaded guilty on December 16, 2016, to one count of child sex trafficking. Court documents reveal he used backpage.com to post classified ads advertising the teenage girl for commercial sex. Between January 13, 2015, and March 16, 2015, Tate orchestrated the girl’s prostitution, booking hotel rooms where men paid to abuse her. He collected every dollar, controlled her movements, and turned violent when she resisted.

Law enforcement intercepted a recorded conversation in which Tate admitted the victim was underage — then callously dismissed her credibility because of her age. The FBI, alongside Houston and Corpus Christi police, built the case using digital evidence, hotel records, and financial trails. Tate didn’t just facilitate abuse — he profited from it, systemized it, and weaponized it.

In addition to his 220-month sentence, Tate will serve 10 years of supervised release upon exiting prison and must pay $20,000 in restitution to the victim. He remains in custody awaiting transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility. The sentence reflects the severity of crimes that shattered a child’s life for profit and power.

Prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sherri L. Zack and Trial Attorney Lauren Britsch of the Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), the case was part of Project Safe Childhood — the DOJ’s nationwide crackdown on child sexual exploitation launched in 2006. The initiative leverages federal, state, and local partnerships to hunt down predators operating online and on the streets.

Backpage.com, once a hub for illicit ads, has since been seized by federal authorities in related trafficking cases. Tate’s conviction adds to the growing list of predators exposed through digital footprints and relentless investigative work. But for survivors, justice is measured not in prison terms, but in the long road to healing — one that this case, at least, has begun.

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