The Long Beach Police Department is asking for the public’s help in identifying the suspects and vehicle wanted in connection with this case. In the first video (top), the victim and suspects were captured as they left a retail store on September 15. The female minor is with the two male suspects, who are seen wearing a black t-shirt and a red tank top.
In the second video (bottom), the suspects’ vehicle (upper left corner of frame), which appears to be a newer white 4-door sedan, is seen leaving the parking lot after the suspects and victim walked out of the store.
The Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) announced today that its Human Trafficking Task Force Operation nabbed 91 criminals since the task force was created in February of this year.
Of those 91 arrests, 20 were arrested for human trafficking, 8 were arrested for pimping, 24 were arrested for assisting a prostitute, 10 were arrested for being internet predators and 29 were arrested for soliciting a prostitute.
Twenty-four of those 91 suspects were from Long Beach, according to documents from the LBPD.
The task force also rescued 22 young girls between the ages of 12 and 17 and referred 54 women to nonprofit organizations for assistance and help, said Mayor Robert Garcia at a press conference today.
LBPD Chief Jim McDonnell said at the conference that there were more human trafficking-related arrests in Long Beach last year than any other city in Los Angeles.
“We’re on our way to achieving that for a second year in a row, but it’s a distinction that we would rather not have,” he said. “The more we look, the more we find.”
McDonnell said at the conference that over the course of the year, detectives became aware that more females were coming forward as victims of prostitution.
Some of the victims were males, but most were female, McDonnell said. Many of them were runaways from other areas, including New York, Michigan and Nevada, and the LBPD was able to reunite many of them with their families.
Many victims worked for so-called “Romeo pimps,” who lured girls in by romanticizing them and offering them a better life.
The pimps generally like to get five girls working for them, McDonnell said, and they can generate between $600,000 to $800,000 a year, depending on the number of girls they have working for them.
McDonnell also said the LBPD believes it is important for Johns, or people who solicit prostitutes, to be punished. The LBPD is looking into the legalities of releasing names of Johns, he said.
Mark Selby, Deputy Special Agent in Charge at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), said over the past year, the DHS has made nearly 200 arrests in relation to human trafficking. During that time frame, it has secured more than 100 criminal convictions.
“These so-called Romeo pimps are surfing social media sites and luring in young girls searching for the next perspective victim,” he said. “Partnerships with institutions, like the relationship we have here in Long Beach, are instrumental for our ongoing efforts [to fight human trafficking.] Tragically, we believe there are still many human trafficking victims that go undetected because the victims are afraid to come forward. All of us here today want victims to know that help is available if you come forward. To those who are perpetrating these reprehensible crimes, we have a message for you all: your callous disregard for human dignity drives and motivates us. We will do everything in our power to find you and hold you accountable for the lives you’ve destroyed.”
LBPD is asking for the public’s help in locating the two male suspects in this video, shown wearing a black t-shirt and a red tank top.
McDonnell also announced that the LBPD is seeking the public’s help in identifying two male suspects who are believed to have prostituted a 16-year-old female runaway.
The girl came forward to Vice detectives and told them she was involved in acts of prostitution, McDonnell said.
The girl told detectives that one of the suspects had rented a hotel room under a fake name and purchased clothes from a Long Beach Target store that the girl could wear while prostituting herself.
They were seen leaving the store in a newer white four-door sedan.
Video footage of the victim and suspects were captured on the store’s surveillance cameras.
The girl was placed in the care of the Department of Children and Family Services, McDonnell said.
“We’re hoping that someone will recognize the suspects in the video and come forward,” he said.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to contact the LBPD’s Vice Investigations Detail at 562-570-7219. Anonymous tips may also be submitted by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), texting TIPLA plus the tip to CRIMES (274637) or visiting LACrimeStoppers.org.
According to the LBPD, the following Long Beach men and women were arrested for human trafficking:
Tatiana William, 21
Detrea Graves, 18
Gerry Brown, 30
Terry Williams, 24
Lexus Bowen, 21
Michael Daniels, 27
The following Long Beach men and women were arrested for pimping:
Joseph Martinez, 43
David Huffman, 55
Mona Silvas, 46
Billy Woods, 58
The following Long Beach men and women were arrested for assisting a prostitute:
Keyanna Brown, 20
Markeis Carmichael, 28
Taylor Sharp, 22
Diamond Anthony, 25
Chivetta Overstreet, 20
Natasha Johnson, 18
Shanila Sorrell, 29
The following Long Beach men and women were arrested for prostitution:
Bryan Maldonado, 25
Mario Cortez-Magana, 29
Pablo Ortega, 33
Deshawn Grant, 26
Oscar Jessie, 21
Jeff Frease, 46
Brooke Bissin, 44