Charles Devan Fulton Sr., Sex Trafficking of Minors, Texas 2016

Galveston Man Sentenced to Life for Sex Trafficking Minors

A 40-year-old Galveston man has been ordered to federal prison after being found guilty of leading a sex trafficking ring.

A jury sitting in Galveston returned guilty verdicts against Charles Devan Fulton Sr. on July 6, 2016, for conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors and four counts of sex trafficking of minors following a six-day trial and approximately four hours of deliberation. Three others - Charmell Latonya Potts, Dominique Warner, and Lawrence James Julian, had previously pleaded guilty for their respective roles.

Today, U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks Jr. ordered Fulton to serve life in prison. In handing down the sentence, Judge Hanks called him a “very dangerous man” and mentioned the defendant seemed willing to do anything or use anyone to get what he wanted.

The court further noted that while speaking on his own behalf today, Fulton never showed any remorse nor any feeling for the harm that befell the victims, only indicating how much this has hurt him and his family.

At the trial, the jury found Fulton engaged in a conspiracy with the others between June 1, 2014, through April 1, 2015, in which they engaged in conspiracy to recruit, entice and harbor minors to engage in sex trafficking.

Fulton, aka “Black” or “Blacc,” was the leader of the group and ordered Potts to post pictures of two of the identified minor victims in prostitution ads on line. Warner aka “Meathead,” Julian aka “Wolf” and Potts also drove the minor females to hotels where the minors would engage in commercial sex acts.

The jury heard that the minors engaged in hundreds of commercial sex acts over the course of the conspiracy. The victims testified at trial, as did Potts, that Fulton would keep the money the children earned performing commercial sex acts.

All have been and will remain in custody. The FBI and the Galveston Police Department conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Galveston County District Attorney’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sherri Zack and Julie Searle prosecuted the case which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the [DOJ] to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."

Mandatory Facts:

• Defendant/Respondent Name: Charles Devan Fulton Sr.
• Criminal Charges: Conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors, conspiracy to recruit, entice and harbor minors to engage in sex trafficking.
• City and State: Galveston, Texas.
• Exact Date: July 6, 2016, and June 1, 2014, through April 1, 2015.
• Sentence or Outcome: Life in prison.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdtx/pr/leader-sex-trafficking-minors-conspiracy-sent-prison-life