SANTA ANA, Calif. – A Las Vegas man was convicted and sentenced to eight years in state prison today for trafficking and pimping a 16-year-old Utah girl in Costa Mesa.

Hunter is a human trafficker/pimp who exploits woman and children for financial gain. In the pimp/prostitution subculture, pimps often assign ranks to the women they exploit. With the rise in popularity of social media and ease of meeting people on the Internet, many pimps and human traffickers utilize a variety of social media to locate potential victims. They often establish rigid rules their victims are expected to follow including requiring victims to speak only when spoken to, address the pimp as “Sir” or “Daddy,” assigning seats in the car based on “rank,” and setting daily quotas the victims are expected to fulfill. The victims are required to turn over all payment they receive for sex acts from sex purchasers to their pimp. Failure to follow these rules can result in deprivation of food and/or physical or emotional abuse.

Circumstances of the Case

• In early November 2017, Hunter met 16-year-old Jane Doe, of Utah, in Las Vegas and trafficked her to Costa Mesa.
• Between Nov. 20, 2017, and Nov. 24, 2017, Hunter had unlawful sex with the victim and pimped her by arranging for Jane Doe to meet with sex purchasers.
• Hunter took all money the victim received from commercial sex for his own benefit.
• Prior to Nov. 24, 2017, Hunter arranged for Jane Doe to solicit sex in areas known for prostitution.
• On Nov. 24, 2017, the defendant got into an altercation with a woman at a motel in Costa Mesa, and a patron of the motel called the police.
• Costa Mesa Police Department (CMPD) officers responded to the scene and arrested the defendant.
• CMPD located Jane Doe in the room and identified her as a potential victim of human trafficking.

Members of the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force (OCHTTF) and the Orange County District Attorney's (OCDA) Office work proactively to protect women and minors from falling victim to commercial sexual exploitation. This case was investigated by CMPD and OCHTTF, a partnership between Anaheim Police Department, California Highway Patrol, CMPD, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Irvine Police Department, Newport Beach Police Department, OCDA, Orange County Sheriff's Department, Santa Ana Police Department, and community and non-profit partners.

Prosecutor: Deputy District Attorney Kelly Manley, HEAT Unit

Proposition 35 and HEAT

To read more about California's anti-human trafficking Proposition 35 (Prop 35) and the OCDA's Human Exploitation and Trafficking (HEAT) Unit, please visit www.orangecountyda.org and select Human Trafficking Information from the Media Center drop down menu.

Orange County District Attorney / Case # 17CF2948 / December 11, 2017