HOUSTON — A federal jury in Houston returned a guilty verdict against Jonathan Smith-Byrd on conspiracy and sex trafficking charges following a seven-day trial, Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck announced. The jury deliberated less than three hours before convicting Smith-Byrd, 35, on six counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion and three counts of enticing and coercing another to travel in interstate commerce for prostitution.

Between January 2014 and October 2022, Smith-Byrd used force, fraud and coercion to cause five women to engage in commercial sex, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Three of the victims were minors when they were trafficked.

Smith-Byrd posted commercial sex advertisements on Backpage.com and trafficked victims on the Bissonnet track in Houston, an area near I-59 Southwest Freeway and Bissonnet Street, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. He made the victims engage in sex acts across state lines, including in Nevada, Louisiana, Florida and New Mexico, using force and violence during travel to maintain control. Smith-Byrd kept 100% of the proceeds from the commercial sex acts.

One or more victims made multiple attempts to escape, but Smith-Byrd responded with threats and severe physical assaults, causing the victims to lose consciousness and sustain serious injuries. Trial testimony detailed the sex advertisements and the assaults, including the use of a padlock inside a sock and a broken belt. One victim sustained multiple fractures to her jaw, required reconstructive surgery and has partial facial paralysis. The jury also saw evidence of the victims' injuries, including hospital records, photographs and physical items used during the assaults.

In his defense, Smith-Byrd said he may have assaulted some of the women but argued those incidents were domestic violence rather than trafficking. He also argued that the women were acting as independent contractors in prostitution and that the case was a love triangle gone wrong.

U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks presided over the trial. Sentencing was set for August 3, 2026, when Smith-Byrd faces up to life in prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine. He will be required to register as a sex offender and remains in custody pending the sentencing hearing.