Houston resident gets 10 years for exploiting minor

HOUSTON – A 25-year-old man has been sentenced for coercion and enticement of a minor, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

Brice Andrew Flickinger pleaded guilty March 20.

U.S. District Judge Keith P. Ellison has now sentenced Flickinger to 120 months in federal prison. At the hearing, the court heard additional information, including a victim letter detailing how the minor victim was taken advantage of at a young age and how it affected the victim negatively for several years. In imposing the sentence, the court noted that Flickinger engaged in a sexual relationship with a very young minor.

Flickinger was also ordered to pay $5,000 to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015 and forfeit his phone. Restitution will be determined later. Following his prison term, Flickinger will serve the rest of his life on supervised release and must comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.

On July 9, 2021, the victim’s mother reported her daughter missing. Shortly thereafter, authorities conducted a traffic stop after observing a vehicle with two men, including Flickinger as passenger, drop the minor victim off near her home. A search resulted in the discovery of a phone in Flickinger’s possession. Forensic examination revealed at least nine videos of child sexual abuse material depicted Flickinger and the minor victim engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

Law enforcement later executed a search warrant at his home where they seized numerous items, including a pair of purple handcuffs located near his bed.

The investigation revealed Flickinger had initially met the minor victim through social media. They later met in person, approximately 15 times, during which he would drive them both to his home after midnight.

He will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

FBI conducted the investigation with the assistance of Sherrif’s offices in Harris and Fort Bend County.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Celia Moyer prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page.