Two human traffickers who advertised victims on Backpage.com have pleaded guilty in federal court, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox.

Joshua Glaze, 30, pleaded guilty this morning to conspiracy to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking through force fraud or coercion. His codefendant, Faizal Sabar, 34, pleaded guilty to the same charge on May 13.

In court documents, the defendants admitted they conspired to advertise victims on the now-defunct Backpage.com.

Mr. Sabar admitted that in 2017, he traveled with one victim from Pennsylvania to Texas, where he forced the victim to engage in commercial sex at various local hotels, including inside a room rented by Mr. Glaze at the Home2Suites hotel in Northlake.

Mr. Sabar instructed the victim how much to charge for each sexual encounter, and pocketed the profits, he admitted.

“Trafficking – people selling other people – is a particularly vile crime,” said U.S. Attorney Nealy Cox. “Even though the website in this case has been shut down, others continue to proliferate, and we remain vigilant for signs of trafficking, online and off.”

Mr. Sabar and Mr. Glaze now face up to life in federal prison. Mr. Sabar will be sentenced on August 26 before Judge Reed C. O’Connor in Fort Worth.

Homeland Security Investigations and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas Allen prosecuted the case.

If you know someone who may be a victim of trafficking or otherwise believe you have information pertaining to human trafficking, please call the National Human Trafficking Hotline, live 24/7, at
1-888-373-7888.