A Hunt County jury found Jeffery Barrett guilty on February 22, after he was accused of human trafficking.
According to NBC 5 News, the jury convicted Barrett on the accusation that he abused his three adopted children after a 25-minute deliberation.
In a statement released on February 22, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said it is heartbreaking to know that the horrible abuse was happening in the state.
“It is unfathomable that a person could be so heartless to abuse the foster care system and use children in need of a loving, safe home as slave labor,” Paxton said in the statement.
Investigators said Barrett did not allow his adopted children to attend school. Instead, he made them work in his puppy mill for years. Investigators said he subjected the children to continuous abuse through isolation and coercion.
The puppies were taken into custody by the SPCA.
Barrett was sentenced to life in prison and ordered to pay a $10,000 fine.
Barrett’s wife, Barbara, had previously been sentenced to 99 years for the continuous trafficking of children, according to NBC 5 News.