July 28, 2016
Case #16NF2089
LONG BEACH STRIKER ARRAIGNED FOR HUMAN TRAFFICKING, ATTEMPTED PIMPING, AND PANDERING FICTITIOUS TEENAGE GIRL ON SOCIAL MEDIA
FULLERTON, Calif. – A Long Beach striker was arraigned yesterday for human trafficking, attempted pimping, and pandering a fictitious teenage girl on social media. Kalan Shon Williams, 21, is charged with one felony count of human trafficking of a minor, one felony count of attempting to pimp a minor, and one felony count of pandering. Williams faces a sentencing enhancement for a prior strike conviction for robbery in 2011 in Los Angeles. If convicted, Williams faces a maximum sentence of 24 years in state prison. Williams was arraigned yesterday and is scheduled for a pre-trial hearing on Aug. 4, 2016, at 8:30 a.m. in Department N-3, North Justice Center, Fullerton.
Circumstances of the Case
Williams is accused of being a human trafficker/pimp who exploits women and/or 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. The victims are often required to turn over all payment they receive for sex acts from sex purchasers to their pimp.
Between January 2016 and July 2016, Williams is accused of contacting a member of the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force (OCHTTF), whom he believed to be a 17-year-old girl, on a social media website. Williams is accused of repeatedly requesting that the fictitious minor perform commercial sex acts for his benefit. The defendant is accused of offering to set up advertisements on websites known for commercial sex and to take her to areas across California to engage in commercial sex. Williams is accused of asking the fictitious minor to call him “Daddy,” and to send him $1,500 which he believed the fictitious minor had received from sex purchasers.
During their investigation, members of the OCHTTF identified Williams and arrested the defendant on July 25, 2016, in Long Beach.
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, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Costa Mesa Police Department, Huntington Beach Police Department, Irvine Police Department, OCDA, Orange County Sheriff’s Department, Santa Ana Police Department, and community and non-profit partners.
Deputy District Attorney Daniel Varon of the HEAT Unit is prosecuting this case.