LUBBOCK, Texas — Cameron Phifer, 24, was sentenced to 20 in prison in connection with his role in sex trafficking a missing Lubbock teenager, federal court documents obtained on Saturday stated. Phifer previously agreed to plead guilty to Receipt and Distribution of Child Pornography.

Phifer admitted that he “groomed and sexually abused” the victim, who he knew was under 18 years old. Phifer was initially arrested back in June of 2023 along with Bianka Vega, 23 and Deryan Thomas, 32.

EverythingLubbock.com previously reported a teenager went missing from her Lubbock home in November of 2022. Court documents said Phifer, Vega and Thomas took the victim to Odessa to teach her how to be a prostitute, then trafficked the teen in New Mexico.

The group traveled to Carlsbad, where Phifer had “primary control” over the victim.

Court records stated an ad was posted on a website known for advertising sex trafficking. According to court documents, 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.

At one point when the law enforcement and the victim’s mother were trying to find her, police contacted Vega. Court records said authorities told Vega the victim was underage, and they were looking for her. Vega called Phifer to let him know. Court documents said he responded with words to the effect of, “It was too late to stop.”

The victim was left at a motel in Carlsbad, where she was picked up and trafficked by another group, Jaelind Fountaine and Sarah Gonzales. The teen was later recovered during a human trafficking operation in Abilene.

After his prison time, Phifer will be on supervised release for 20 years.

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.