News release courtesy of the Texas Attorney General’s Office:
A Madison County jury sentenced defendant Jennifer Nicole Kelly, 33, of Madisonville, to prison for operating a human trafficking and prostitution ring in Madisonville.
In April, the defendant was indicted for trafficking of persons under the age of 18 and compelling prostitution of a child, both first-degree felonies. On Wednesday, Madison County jurors convicted Kelly of both charges and sentenced her to 15 years for the trafficking charge and 10 years for the compelling prostitution charge. The prison sentences will run concurrently.
For several years, Kelly recruited females to work as prostitutes by offering them a place to live in her mobile home. The defendant arranged prostitution engagements between the females and the customers, charging both parties a fee and keeping some of the victims’ proceeds. Investigators discovered one of the females Kelly recruited and trafficked was a 17-year-old minor, who had engaged in prostitution for Kelly since she was 14 years old.
Prosecutors with the Office of the Attorney General represented the State as Special Assistants to Madison County Criminal District Attorney Brian Risinger.