A Texas man will be behind bars for decades for forcing his teen daughter into truck stop prostitution as punishment for having sex with boys her own age.
Forty-six year old Scott Robinson was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Monday in a Harris County court. Robinson pled guilty to first degree felony charges of aggravated compelling of prostitution after he was arrested in June 2015 by undercover investigators. He had an extensive criminal history that includes charges for drugs and auto theft.
Robinson’s sixteen year old daughter told authorities that her father started pimping her out after he learned that she had been intimate with boys. He reportedly told her that “if she was going to act like a prostitute she might as well be one.”
Robinson’s daughter said that her father took her to truck stops and forced her to knock on truck doors offering sex in exchange for money. She told investigators that she had several clients every night and that her father took all of the money she was given.
Investigators were first alerted to Robinson’s scheme via an anonymous tip. The tipster offered up a link to an ad for escort services on the BackPage website. The ads featured racy photos of Robinson’s daughter and referred to the girl as “sexy and sweet” and “super clean.”
Robinson took a plea deal and will not go to trial.
JoAnne Musick of the Harris County District Attorney’s office says she is satisfied with this outcome because it will keep Robinson’s daughter from having to take the witness stand: “I think it sends a message that this type of exploitation would be prosecuted to the fullest extent. However, we wanted to avoid having to put the victim through that again and so, thinking about her and her welfare, we decided to make a deal to avoid her testifying.”
To learn more about how truck drivers can lead the fight against prostitution, visit truckersagainsttrafficking.org.