A 28-year-old Long Beach man has been sentenced to county jail for up to one year for “supervising” a prostitute, according to a statement from the Office of the Long Beach City Prosecutor.
According to the statement, an undercover police officer posing as a “John” responded to an internet advertisement for female “escort services” on October 4. He was then directed to a motel room in Long Beach and, after entering the room, learned the woman intended to engage in an act of prostitution.
The woman was ultimately detained, but while police were investigating, they located 28-year-old Jerome Hubbard of Long Beach hiding in the motel bathroom with two cell phones.
Investigators discovered messages, believed to be made by Hubbard, on the phones that revealed multiple acts of supervising prostitution and bragging that he was “pimping on these hoes.”
The woman refused to cooperate and give evidence against Hubbard, so there was insufficient evidence of pimping or human trafficking. Because of this, Hubbard could only be charged with “supervising” a prostitute, which is a misdemeanor, according to the statement from the Office of the Long Beach City Prosecutor.
Hubbard was sentenced for the misdemeanor punishable by up to six months incarceration. Because there was evidence that the crime was tied to a Crip set in Long Beach, and the crime proved to have benefited the gang, Hubbard received an additional six-month gang enhancement that gave him a maximum sentence of one year in county jail.
However, due to overcrowding in the Los Angeles County Jail, Hubbard could be released only a few months into his one-year sentence, according to the statement from the Office of the Long Beach City Prosecutor.
“This is an especially egregious case and it shows a problem in the law that should be fixed,” said City Prosecutor Doug Haubert in a statement. “We are seeing a link between gangs and the illegal sex trade. When that link is present, the law should treat these cases more seriously.”
“Gangs are increasingly getting involved in prostitution and human trafficking in Los Angeles County and across the country,” Haubert said. “The Long Beach Police Department is a leader in recognizing the growing link between gangs and prostitution, but our laws need to catch up to the reality on the streets and give police and prosecutors the tools they need to curb human trafficking.”