The former Political Director of Texas Right to Life, Luke Bowen, was sentenced to five years in prison after confessing he tried to meet up for sex with a 13-year-old girl. 

Montgomery County police attached to the Houston Metro Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce (ICAC) made the arrest. Bowen was taken into custody when he arrived in Willis, Texas to meet who he thought to be an underage girl.

Bowen pleaded guilty to online solicitation of a minor. And he signed a judicial confession before his sentencing on Tuesday. 

First Assistant Mike Holley of the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office said that Bowen was caught by a sting operation of the Montgomery County Internet Crimes Against Children.

In a Wednesday news release officials said Bowen was using a social media app to communicate with an undercover detective. And Bowen believed he was soliciting sex from a 13-year-old girl.

Holley said Bowen acknowledged he was communicating with a 13-year-old. And engaging in sexual conversations with a child. 

He had requested that she send him explicit images. And he sent her images of his erect penis. He also asked the girl if she wanted to “hook up."

Texas Right to Life fired Bowen

Bowen, 34, of Montgomery, was taken to the Montgomery jail. And charged on August 3, 2022. 

According to Texas Right to Life, Director of Media and Communication Kim Schwartz confirmed via email Bowen was fired by the organization on the day of his arrest.

Conroe-based attorney E. Tay Bond, representing Bowen, had no comment on the sentencing. He has emphasized since the arrest that there was no actual victim in the case.

“This investigation revolves around a fictitious alleged minor created by law enforcement and posted on the Internet,” Bond previously claimed. “There is not a real victim in the case.”

Assistant District Attorney Kelly Blackburn said the sting is a standard operation by the ICAC task force. The lead agency was the Montgomery County Precinct 2 Constable’s Office which made Bowen’s arrest.

Blackburn said the Houston ICAC is part of a national network of 61 coordinated task forces. It represents over 4,500 federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. And remains dedicated to investigating, prosecuting, and developing effective responses to internet crimes against children.