BEAUMONT, Texas — Justin Angel, of Port Arthur, has been indicted for solicitation of a prostitute today and 16 other men are facing solicitation charges after being caught in an undercover Texas Department of Public Safety operation back in March in Beaumont.
Back in March, Angel scheduled a meet up with (unbeknown to him) undercover officers after they posted ads on a website known for human trafficking.
Angel agreed to pay $50 to engage in sexual conduct and was then promptly arrested when he arrived at the previously determined hotel room.
(EDITOR'S NOTE: In an earlier version of the story we shared a photo of the suspect that we received from the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office. Unfortunately, we believe we received a mugshot of the wrong man. The sheriff's office is investigating what happened.) The video above was recorded on March 29, 2024
Investigators with the DPS Criminal Investigations Division and several other state and local agencies participated in the operation which happened on Wednesday and Thursday and also recovered several human trafficking victims according to a news release from DPS.
12News agreed to hold publishing an article about the sting, which was focused on victims of human trafficking, until it was over at the request of DPS.
Jeremie Deshaun Nellar Barabin, 39, of Port Arthur, were also arrested by DPS investigators on Wednesday on a charge of "trafficking of persons," which is a second degree felony.
According to jail records a total of 16 other men, including Angel were arrested for solicitation of prostitution which, as of September 2021, is a state jail felony in Texas.
In the case against Barabin, a TABC agent working undercover made contact with a woman via text using a number found on an adult website according to the affidavit.
After speaking to the woman over a video chat he made arrangements to meet her at a hotel in the 2000 block of 11th St. in Beaumont.
When the woman arrived he met her in the lobby and they went to a room where they discussed and agreed upon a price for a sexual act according to the affidavit.
After he agreed on the price, the undercover TABC agent went into the bathroom and waited while uniformed DPS investigators entered the hotel room and detained the woman.
When she was interviewed by investigators she told them that she had met Barabin about two months ago and that he had coerced her into prostitution by threatening her with "physical violence," according to the affidavit.
She told them that if she did not give Barabin the money or perform a "sex date" that had been arranged that he would hurt her. She also told them she had seen him assault other women the affidavit said.
Barabin forced her to give him 80% of the money she made and in the past two months she had sent him "thousands of dollars" via CashApp, the woman told investigators.
The Texas Highway Patrol, DPS Victim Support Services, Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Beaumont Police Department, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, Texas Department of Family and Protective Services and the Governor’s Office – Child Sex Trafficking Team assisted in the operation. Organizations specializing in assisting human trafficking victims including the Harvest House and the Garth House were also involved.
This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.
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