Texas Man Gets 35 Years in Prison for Kidnapping Woman, Taking Girl Across State Lines for Sex

In yet another case that highlights the slow pace of the wheels of justice, a case that began in November 2018 was resolved on Aug. 19 when Bryan Douglas Conley was sentenced to 35 years in federal prison for kidnapping a woman, transporting a minor across state lines for sex and other federal offenses, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky announced in a press release.

Conley, 42, of El Paso, Texas, was convicted in U.S. District Court in December 2023. Conley has appealed. In its judgment order, the court instructed that Conley be housed in a federal prison close to his family in El Paso.

The case began in January 2018 when he enticed a 17-year-old girl from Ohio to come to Tennessee to be with him. According to the Feb. 7, 2023 indictment, Conley offered her $200,000 to have sex with him and to give her a car and other gifts. He posted a profile photo of a young, muscular man and claimed to be a member of the wealthy DeBeers family living in Nashville.

Details of Two Crimes

In November 2018, Conley, using his alias of Bryant DeBeers, said he was sending his friend, Conley, to pick her up near her home in Pataskala, Ohio. They then drove toward Tennessee, stopping at a motel in LaGrange, Ky., according to the criminal complaint obtained by The Daily Muck.

Conley said he couldn’t bring her to “Bryant” that day because DeBeers had an auto accident. He communicated with her by text, as “Bryant,” including telling her he would give her even more money if she had sex with Conley, which she did.

During this time, Conley also told her he would give her money to have sex with another man while he videoed it, which she did.

After this, Conley drove the girl to Texas, supposedly to be with “Bryant,” who had property there. At some point, she asked him to take her back home to Ohio. Instead, he took her phone and purse and left her at a gas station in Texas.

In January 2019, Conley once again used an online dating site to locate another victim. Masquerading again as the young, handsome, wealthy DeBeers – this time named “Lance” – they discussed her becoming a model. She agreed to meet him in Dover, Tenn. He told her she would meet with his modeling agent, “Brian.”

Conley met the woman – who the indictment says was susceptive to the deception “because of her cognitive ability” -– and convinced her to let him take photos and videos of her for her “modeling portfolio.” She did not stay at the hotel that night.

The next day, Conley called her to arrange a photo shoot of her and “Lance.” When she arrived, Conley was the only one there. He told her to put her purse and overnight bag in his car, and he would take her to “Lance.” He drove to a remote place near Dover and told her that Lance had been arrested. She went home, leaving her purse with credit cards and Social Security number in the car.

He attempted to make purchases in Oak Grove, Ky., and to access her online bank account. He then called her to schedule a photo shoot in Louisville. He picked her up in a parking lot in Shepherdsville.

Conley took her cell phone, purportedly to transfer videos from her phone to his. He gave her a drugged drink. When she fell asleep, he used her phone to contact her family to issue ransom demands and threats of violence if the ransom was not paid. He sent them a photo of the victim bound in the back seat of the car with a duct tape-wrapped rope in her mouth.

He later untied her, but when she wanted to go home, he told her that he and “Lance” were law enforcement officers investigating a sex trafficking ring that had targeted her. He told her it was not safe for her to go home.

‘Gutting Her Like A Fish’

Throughout that day, Conley sent text messages to the victim’s parents threatening to harm their daughter, sell her as a sex slave, and “send video of me gutting her like a fish.”

In its press release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Conley demanded $20,000 in small, unmarked bills. The FBI put the ransom where it was demanded and arrested Conley shortly after he picked up the ransom.

After his arrest and indictment, Conley was placed on house arrest in his El Paso residence pending trial. In June 2019, Conley removed his ankle monitor and fled. He was soon arrested in Ohio.

U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett said the “lengthy sentence imposed by the court reflects the outrageousness of the defendant’s criminal conduct toward the victims in this case and ensures he will not re-offend for decades to come.”

“The victims in this case never thought using an online dating service would subject them to the type of horrendous actions that this defendant inflicted upon them,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Micheal E. Stansbury added. “Today’s sentence affirms the FBI’s steadfast commitment to protecting our community from acts of violence and intimidation and is an important reminder to remain vigilant and cautious as we use the internet in our everyday lives to avoid predators, like this defendant, who wish to harm us all.”