SAN ANTONIO – A Bexar County jury found a 41-year-old convicted felon guilty of forcing young girls to be prostitutes.
Jurors deliberated for one hour Thursday before returning a guilty verdict against Frank Lara on four counts of human trafficking and compelling prostitution of a child younger than 18 years of age.
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Lara faces a range of punishment from 25 years to life in prison and up to a $10,000 fine on each of the four counts. The judge has the discretion to stack the sentences during a hearing scheduled for July 11. The District Attorney's Office plans to seek the maximum sentence.
During Lara's trial, two teenage girls testified how they would meet men for sex in motel rooms. One of the girls told jurors the money they made was handed over to Lara and that he was Internet ads to lure customers for sex.
Lara was arrested in 2012 during a sting operation. He had been in prison on three other occasions and was under house arrest and GPS monitoring when he was arrested.