SANTA ANA, Calif. – A man was sentenced to 28 years in state prison today for human trafficking and pimping a minor girl and pimping and pandering two additional women.

Circumstances of the Case

Santos is a human trafficker/pimp who exploits women and children for financial gain. 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. Pimps often establish rigid rules that their victims are expected to follow including setting daily quotas that the victims are expected to fulfill. The victims are often 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 and/or emotional abuse.

• Between July 1, 2013, and July 8, 2015, Santos used social media to contact Jane Doe 2 and pimped and pandered the victim by convincing the victim to engage in commercial sex for his benefit.
• Between Oct. 1, 2014, and March 1, 2015, the defendant met Jane Doe 3 and trafficked, pimped and pandered the victim by convincing her to come with him from Las Vegas, Nevada to places known for prostitution and human trafficking in Orange County.
• The defendant showed Jane Doe 3 how to post sexually explicit photos on websites known for prostitution and to set up meetings with potential sex purchasers.
• Santos imposed a strict daily quota of $1,200, and took all of the money Jane Doe 3 received from engaging in commercial sex to pay off his debt.
• The defendant was physically violent with Jane Doe 3 if she did not follow his instructions.
• Between June 28, 2015, and July 8, 2015, Santos trafficked 15-year-old Jane Doe 1 by driving her to Orange County to perform commercial sex acts for his benefit.
• The defendant attempted to convince Jane Doe 3 to instruct 15-year-old Jane Doe 1 about how to engage in commercial sex, but she refused.
• Santos continued to pimp Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2, and required they give him all of the money that they received from sex purchasers.
• In July 2015, the crimes were reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
• On July 8, 2015, members of the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force (OCHTTF) located Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2 at a motel in Costa Mesa. Their room was reserved under Santos' name.
• OCHTTF investigated this case and located and arrested the defendant on Sept. 17, 2015.

Members of the 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 OCHTTF, a partnership between Anaheim Police Department, California Highway Patrol, Costa Mesa Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Huntington Beach Police Department, Irvine 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 15NF2570 / August 14, 2017