LUBBOCK, Texas — A Lubbock man previously accused of sex trafficking a child, Cameron Phifer, 24, agreed to plead guilty to Receipt and Distribution of Child Pornography on Friday, according to federal court documents obtained by EverythingLubbock.com on Monday.
Court records stated Phifer admitted that he “groomed and sexually abused” the victim, who he knew was under 18 years old.
EverythingLubbock.com previously reported Phifer, Bianka Vega, 22, and Deryan Thomas, 32, were arrested back in June.
According to federal court records, a teenager went missing from her Lubbock home on November 28, 2022. Court documents stated Thomas, Phifer and Vega took the victim to Odessa to teach her how to be a prostitute. After “failed attempts” to find the victim, court records said her family reported her missing on December 13. By that point, court records stated the teen was already being sex trafficked in another state.
After a short time in Odessa, the four traveled to Carlsbad, New Mexico. Phifer drove the victim in his car while Vega and Thomas followed in a separate one. Federal court documents said Phifer had “primary control” over the victim once in New Mexico.
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From December 5 to 8, court records stated an ad was posted on a website known for advertising sex trafficking. Court documents said the ad showed Vega and the victim in lewd photos wearing lingerie. In some of the photos, the victim was completely nude, court records stated. The ad offered sexual services from Vega and the underage teen, according to court records.
Court records said at one point while the victim’s mother and law enforcement were trying to find her, authorities reached Vega on the phone and said they were looking for the teenager. Vega called Phifer to let him know, court documents said.
“Phifer acknowledged the information but responded with words to the effect of: ‘it was too late to stop,'” court documents stated.
After that phone call, court records stated Phifer continued to sex traffic the child until eventually leaving her at hotel in Carlsbad, where she was picked up by another trafficker in January of 2023. The victim was later recovered during a human trafficking investigation. Court documents did not indicate the victim’s current status.
If his plea is accepted, Phifer will be sentenced at a later date to no more than 20 years in prison.
The National Human Trafficking Hotline is 1-888-373-7888. Survivors of human trafficking can find resources and help at the Lubbock Police Department, OneVoiceHome and Voice of Hope.
