TULSA, Okla. — A Wichita man will spend 30 years in prison for sex trafficking.

Byron Cordell Thomas was convicted last August by a federal jury for sex trafficking, witness tampering, transporting an individual for prostitution, and possessing a firearm as a felon.

U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson said Thomas recruited vulnerable young women to work as prostitutes from 2019 to 2022. Thomas’ operation spanned four states, including Oklahoma.

According to Johnson, Thomas would exploit the victims’ financial hardship and addiction issues to lure them in. He would isolate the victims, move them under false pretenses to another state, and refuse to take them back home until they earned a set amount of money through prostitution.

“In this particular situation, it was sex trafficking. You and I are talking about making a human being a product for sexually perverted people and for someone to get money off of the sale of that human being,” said Kristin Weis, CEO and co-founder of The Demand Project in Tulsa.

Weis said the goal of The Demand Project is to eradicate human trafficking, online enticement, child sexual abuse material, and the commercial exploration of children.

U.S. Attorney Johnson said Thomas used threats and intimidation to control the victims and their access to money.

Weis said unfortunately in cases like Thomas’, this kind of tactic isn’t uncommon.

“Predators see that vulnerability, they pounce. It is luring, grooming, manipulation, control, addiction, and money.”

The U.S. Attorney’s office stated Thomas trained the young women to avoid police and even recruited other women for him, all while maintaining complete control of the money earned with physical violence or physiological coercion.

“I like to quote, ‘a familiar captivity can be more comfortable than an unfamiliar freedom’ and sometimes people can get stuck in a familiar captivity of addiction and control and knowing at least they have their basic needs met by this person even though they are being threatened, coerced and forced into doing this.”

Weis said recovery for these victims is often a web of trauma with a long road of therapy ahead.

On Friday, Thomas was sentenced to 30 years in prison along with 12 years of supervised release.

The US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma said Thomas will remain in custody before he’s transferred to federal prison.