MAN SENTENCED TO 21 YEARS IN PRISON FOR BURGLARY, ROBBERY, KIDNAPPING OF SEX PURCHASER, ASSAULT WITH A FIREARM, AND TRAFFICKING

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Case # 18CF0567

DATE: September 27, 2018

MAN SENTENCED TO 21 YEARS IN PRISON FOR BURGLARY, ROBBERY, KIDNAPPING OF SEX PURCHASER, ASSAULT WITH A FIREARM, AND TRAFFICKING OF A 17-YEAR-OLD GIRL

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A man was sentenced to 21 years in state prison today for burglary, robbery, kidnapping of sex purchaser, assault with a firearm, and trafficking a 17-year-old girl.

Defendant	Charges	Sentence
Grant Champion Ewing, 23, Riverside	Pleaded guilty today, Sept. 27, 2018 to the following counts: First degree burglary First degree robbery Assault with a semiautomatic firearm Kidnapping False imprisonment effected by violence, menace, fraud, or deceit Criminal threats Dissuade witness by force Trafficking a victim under 18 years of age Pimping a minor over 16 years of age Pandering a minor over 16 years of age Resisting and obstructing a peace officer   Sentence Enhancements: Personal use and discharge of firearm Prior “strike” conviction Prior prison term	21 years in state prison   Sex offender registration pursuant to penal code 290

Ewing is accused of being a human trafficker/pimp who exploits women 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.

Circumstances of the Case

• On Feb. 22, 2018, Ewing drove 17-year-old Jane Doe to meet with 59-year-old sex purchaser John Doe in Newport Beach after corresponding via a website known for prostitution.
• Ewing drove Jane Doe to John Doe’s home where the victims planned to engage in commercial sex.
• Ewing came back to the residence to rob John Doe and began banging on the front door. John Doe opened the door to find Ewing with a gun pointed at his face.
• The defendant forced his way into the residence and hit John Doe in the face several times. The defendant then demanded gold from John Doe and forced the victim into his bedroom.
• After going through John Doe’s belongings, Ewing hit John Doe in the head with the gun and discharged the firearm, while continuing to demand valuables.
• John Doe revealed to Ewing that there was some cash in the hallway closet. The defendant took the cash, locked John Doe in the bedroom closet, threatened to kill him if he called the police, and proceeded to steal the victim’s cell phone and computer.
• After the defendant and Jane Doe left the residence, John Doe called Newport Beach Police Department (NBPD).
• NBPD investigated this case and arrested Ewing later that night.

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 NBPD and OCHTTF, a partnership between Anaheim Police Department, California Highway Patrol, Costa Mesa Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, Irvine Police Department, NBPD, OCDA, Orange County Sheriff’s Department, Santa Ana Police Department, and community and non-profit partners.

Prosecutor: Deputy District Attorney Kelly Manley, HEAT Unit

Pimps often establish rigid rules that their victims are expected to follow including requiring victims to speak only when spoken to, address the pimp as “Sir” or “Daddy,” assigning seats in the car based on “rank,” and setting daily quotas that the victims are expected to fulfill. The victims are 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.

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.