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Woman facing charges in trafficking of girl

Deborah Ameia Cooper, 20, arrested after online prostitution crackdown

SAN ANTONIO – A 20-year-old woman is facing charges related to human trafficking after state investigators conducted a crackdown of online prostitution.

Deborah Ameia Cooper, who is listed simply as Ameia Cooper in records at the Central Magistrate's Office, was arrested Tuesday on charges of trafficking of persons under the age of 18 and compelling prostitution.

An arrest warrant affidavit stated that while conducting an crackdown on sex trafficking, an officer with the state attorney general's office spotted an ad on an internet website called Backpage.com which featured pictures of Cooper and an underage girl.

According to investigators, the website is known for advertising "escort services," but those services typically involve the exchange of sex for money, the affidavit stated.

The affidavit stated that the investigator contacted Cooper using a telephone number in her ad on Aug. 13, and arranged a meeting for sex with both her and the underage girl, the affidavit stated.

The investigator then met Cooper at a local motel and arrested her on the spot, the affidavit stated.

The girl was found later, waiting in a room at that motel, the affidavit stated.

Investigators said they also found a similar ad on the website with pictures of Cooper and the girl offering their services in Killeen, the affidavit stated.


About the Author
Katrina Webber headshot

Katrina Webber joined KSAT 12 in December 2009. She reports for Good Morning San Antonio. Katrina was born and raised in Queens, NY, but after living in Gulf Coast states for the past decade, she feels right at home in Texas. It's not unusual to find her singing karaoke or leading a song with her church choir when she's not on-air.