Memphis Man Sentenced For Sex Trafficking Kentucky Teen Girl
Wednesday, June 18, 2025, 7:20 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
BOWLING GREEN, KY.- A 37-year-old Memphis, Tennessee, man will be spending over two decades in federal prison after being sentenced last Thursday on his conviction of federal sex trafficking and firearms crimes.
According to U.S. Attorney Kyle G. Bumgarner, on Thursday, July 12, 2025, Portier Q. Govan, 37, of Memphis, Tennessee, appeared in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky and was sentenced to 300 months in federal prison, to be followed by ten years of supervised release after being found guilty in December 2024 of Sex Trafficking, Force, Fraud, or Coercion; Conspiracy to Commit Sex Trafficking; Obstruction of a Sex Trafficking Investigation; Interstate Transportation to Engage in Prostitution; and Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person, Convicted Fellon.
Evidence Presented At Trial
Evidence presented at trial proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Govan and his co-defendant, Brittany R. Howard, 25, of Bowling Green, Kentucky, recruited and enticed an 18-year-old girl to engage in commercial sex by preying on her young age and dire financial situation, and by making false promises of easy money.
Govan Threatened Victim With Handgun
To establish control over the girl, Govan threatened to kill her by pressing a handgun against her head while she was in the front seat of a car and then lowering and discharging the gun, firing a round across her lap, just missing her body by inches.
Govan then showed the girl a video of himself torturing a defenseless man tied to a chair. Govan sexually assaulted her and forced her to engage in sex acts for his personal financial gain.
“This sentence is the culmination of a tremendous joint effort between the Bowling Green Police Department and the FBI’s Bowling Green Resident Agency,” said U.S. Attorney Kyle Bumgarner. “Thanks to their efforts, Portier Govan will spend a significant portion of his adult life in a federal penitentiary for his depraved conduct. While his sentence is lengthy, there is no sentence that sufficiently remedies the trauma he inflicted on his victim, who will continue to have unwavering support from our office.”
“The defendant used brazen acts of violence to compel the 18-year-old victim to engage in commercial sex, even holding a gun to the victim’s head,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This significant sentence reflects the severity of the defendant’s conduct and sends a clear message that the DOJ will relentlessly prosecute and hold accountable human traffickers who abuse and exploit others for financial gain.”
