Lexington man sentenced to 36 years for sex trafficking drug-addicted women for years
A Lexington man who was convicted last year of running a drug ring that preyed on young women is now set to spend 36 years in federal prison after being sentenced Wednesday, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Prince Bixler, 41, was also ordered by U.S. District Court Judge Robert E. Wier to spend 10 years under supervised release after his prison time ends and pay $333,100 in restitution, according to the Department of Justice.
Bixler was convicted of 15 felony charges in September after being accused of running a violent sex and drug trafficking operation which “forced young, drug-addicted women to prostitute and sell crack cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamines throughout the Lexington area,” according to the Department of Justice.
Bixler would find young women with drug addictions and no place to stay. He’d coerce them by giving them drugs and hotel rooms to stay in, but only if they engaged in sex work and gave him a portion of the profit, according to prosecutors.
If the young women did not do what he said, he would threaten violence or become violent, according to court records. Bixler would push, kick, slap and punch women when they didn’t follow his rules, and as a result, they feared him, prosecutors wrote.
“Prince Bixler preyed on vulnerable women to operate a prostitution enterprise and sell illegal drugs in our community,” Acting U.S. Attorney Carlton S. Shier IV said in a statement. “His conduct caused enduring physical and emotional damage to these women and further spread the devastation of highly addictive and dangerous drugs.”
Bixler committed the crimes between 2013 and March 2018, according to the Department of Justice. In addition to convictions for drug and sex trafficking, Bixler was convicted of witness tampering. Bixler “threatened one witness with physical violence in an attempt to dissuade her from testifying truthfully before the grand jury,” according to the Department of Justice.
He also repeatedly called and harassed another witness the night before she was scheduled to testify, according to the Department of Justice. Four victims testified at Bixler’s trial, which lasted seven days. He was found guilty after about seven hours of jury deliberations, according to the Department of Justice.
Bixler was convicted on three counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion; two counts of tampering with a witness victim or an informant; one count of operating an unlawful prostitution business enterprise; six counts of distributing controlled substances, including crack cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine; and three counts of being a felon in possession with a firearm.
Bixler was eligible to receive a sentence anywhere from 15 years to life in prison, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.
This story was originally published February 25, 2021 at 7:31 AM.