SANTA ANA, Calif. – Two men were charged and arraigned today for pimping and pandering victims from Hawaii and New York in Costa Mesa.

Circumstances of the Case

Mowry and Johnson are accused of being pimps who exploit women for financial gain. The victims are often required to turn over all payment they receive for sex acts from sex purchasers to their pimp.

• Prior to June 18, 2017, Mowry is accused of traveling from Hawaii to Las Vegas with 19-year-old Jane Doe 1 and 21-year-old Jane Doe 2 to benefit from money the victims received from sex purchasers.
• Johnson is accused of traveling from New York to Las Vegas with 25-year-old Jane Doe 3 to arrange for the victim to engage in commercial sex for his benefit.
• The defendants are accused of meeting in Las Vegas and taking the victims to Orange County, where they are further accused of continuing to benefit from the victims' commercial sex acts.
• On June 19, 2017, members of the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force (OCHTTF) located an advertisement online depicting Jane Doe 1 soliciting commercial sex.
• The OCHTTF investigators set up a meeting with Jane Doe 1 at a motel in Costa Mesa, where Johnson and Mowry are accused of sharing a room with Jane Doe 1, 2, and 3.
• All victims were contacted by the OCHTTF and the defendants are accused of using money the victims received through commercial sex to pay for gas, travel, food, and lodging. OCHTTF arrested Johnson and Mowry at the scene.

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, 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 Juliet Oliver, HEAT Unit

Proposition 35 and HEAT

To read more about California's anti-human trafficking Proposition 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 # 17CF1564 / June 22, 2017