A Houston man has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for coercion and enticement of a minor, according to an announcement by U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Brice Andrew Flickinger, 25, pleaded guilty on March 20. U.S. District Judge Keith P. Ellison imposed the sentence of 120 months in prison after hearing additional information at the sentencing hearing, including a letter from the victim describing how being taken advantage of at a young age had negatively affected them for several years. The court noted that Flickinger engaged in a sexual relationship with a very young minor.
Flickinger was also ordered to pay $5,000 under the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015 and must forfeit his phone. Restitution will be determined later. After serving his prison term, Flickinger will be on supervised release for life with requirements limiting his access to children and the internet, and he must register as a sex offender.
The case began when the victim’s mother reported her daughter missing on July 9, 2021. Authorities soon conducted a traffic stop after seeing two men, including Flickinger as passenger, drop off the minor near her home. A search found Flickinger had a phone containing at least nine videos showing child sexual abuse material involving him and the minor victim.
Law enforcement later executed a search warrant at Flickinger’s home where they seized various items, including purple handcuffs located near his bed.
Investigators determined that Flickinger met the minor through social media before meeting in person about 15 times, often driving together to his home after midnight.
Flickinger remains in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility.
The FBI led the investigation with help from Harris and Fort Bend County Sheriff’s offices. Assistant U.S. Attorney Celia Moyer prosecuted the case as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse nationwide. PSC brings together federal, state and local resources to find offenders who exploit children and rescue victims; more information is available on DOJ’s PSC page.
The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas operates as part of the U.S. Department of Justice, serving under the Attorney General as chief prosecutor within its jurisdiction since its creation in 1902. With headquarters in Houston and offices across multiple cities such as Galveston, Corpus Christi, Laredo, McAllen and Brownsville (source), it covers over nine million people across 43 counties from Houston to the Mexican border (source). The office employs more than 200 attorneys focusing on prosecuting federal crimes like this case (source) while partnering with other law enforcement agencies (source).
For resources about internet safety education or further details about Project Safe Childhood efforts against child exploitation crimes visit the DOJ’s website.
