SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio man is facing felony charges for his alleged role in an underage prostitution ring that was apparently being run by a pimp who was in prison.
Bernard Blanchard, 43, is accused of collecting money from girls and transporting them to meet clients around the state.
Blanchard was arrested Wednesday and charged with aggravated promotion of prostitution after an investigating by officer with the Office of the Texas Attorney General.
The case started in September after the office was notified of a tip from a Bexar County investigator who suspected one of the prostitutes was a victim of human trafficking.
The 17-year-old victim said she met Blanchard when she responded to a post on Facebook asking, “Who wants to make money?”
The teen learned she’d be making money by having sex when she met Blanchard at a home located on Moonwalk Crest. An arrest affidavit said Blanchard lived at the home and was in charge of transporting the 17-year-old and other girls to various locations for sex in San Antonio, Corpus Christi and Houston.
The alleged ringleader, only identified by authorities as “Herrera,” is a 27-year-old man doing time in an undisclosed Texas prison. He allegedly used three cellphones, which were smuggled into the prison, to conduct his business.
Herrera recruited new girls and gave them instructions over the phone, the affidavit said.
The affidavit detailed how a 19-year-old girl from Dallas was recruited and brought to San Antonio to work as a prostitute. The girls would hand over half of their earnings to Blanchard.
When Herrera’s phones were confiscated, he allegedly continued to run the business by sending letters to Blanchard and another woman. In one intercepted letter, he wrote, “The biz must go on. The hustle most go on.” And “keep others motivated to stack paper.”
When questioned about his role in the ring, Blanchard reportedly admitted to renting hotel rooms, posting ads and taking the girls to meet-ups.
Blanchard faces two felony charges. His bail is set at $200,000.