Edric Norvell Robinson Sr. Gets 18 Years in Child Sex Trafficking Case

Dallas man Edric Norvell Robinson, Sr., 46, is headed to federal prison for 216 months after pleading guilty to sex trafficking of a child. The sentence, handed down by U.S. District Judge Ed Kinkeade, marks the end of a case rooted in the exploitation of a 16-year-old girl shuttled between Dallas and Wichita Falls for commercial sex acts.

Robinson admitted to recruiting, enticing, harboring, and transporting the minor from April 7, 2014, through August 19, 2014. During that time, he profited from her forced involvement in commercial sex, operating with the cold calculation of a pimp who treated a child as property. His guilty plea in April 2016 laid bare the mechanics of his exploitation, sealing his fate in a courtroom more than a decade after the crimes.

At Wednesday’s sentencing, Judge Kinkeade imposed a 15-year term of supervised release to follow Robinson’s prison term. The order includes lifetime registration as a sex offender—a permanent mark for a man who weaponized vulnerability for profit. Federal authorities made clear there would be no leniency for those who traffic in the bodies of children.

The case was investigated by the Texas Department of Public Safety and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), both part of the North Texas Anti-Trafficking Taskforce (NTATT). Their joint efforts dismantled Robinson’s operation and brought a victim out of the shadows—part of a broader push to combat human trafficking in the region.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Cara Foos Pierce led the prosecution, underscoring the federal government’s commitment to pursuing child sex traffickers through initiatives like Project Safe Childhood (PSC). The Department of Justice program coordinates resources across federal, state, tribal, and local agencies to identify victims, apprehend offenders, and prosecute crimes involving the sexual exploitation of minors.

Robinson’s conviction falls under PSC’s umbrella, which targets a range of offenses—from child pornography to trafficking and the buying and selling of minors. As federal prosecutors continue cracking down on exploitation networks, Robinson’s 18-year sentence stands as both punishment and warning: exploit a child, and the feds will come for you.