| For Immediate Release Case # 13NF1795 July 30, 2013 |
Susan Kang Schroeder Chief of Staff Office: 714-347-8408 Cell: 714-292-2718 Farrah Emami
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MAN TO BE ARRAIGNED FOR PIMPING AND PANDERING TEENAGER AFTER POSTING AN AD ON WEBSITE
SANTA ANA – A man will be arraigned tomorrow for pimping and pandering a teenage woman after posting an advertisement on a website known for prostitution. Davion D’Anthony Johnson-Harris, 24, Anaheim, is charged with one felony count each of pimping and pandering. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of six years in state prison. He is currently being held on $100,000 bail, and is scheduled to be arraigned tomorrow, July 31, 2013, at 8:00 a.m. in Department C-5, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana.
Circumstances of the Case
Johnson-Harris is accused of being a pimp/human trafficker who exploits women and/or children financial gain.
The defendant is accused of exploiting 18-year-old Jane Doe for commercial sex. For approximately four days, the defendant is accused of instructing Jane Doe on how much money to bring in for specific sex acts.
During an undercover sting operation, Anaheim Police Department (APD) officers responded to an advertisement on a website known for prostitution offering sex with Jane Doe. The undercover officer met Jane Doe in a hotel room for sex and determined that she was being exploited by Johnson-Harris. On May 24, 2013, APD arrested Johnson-Harris.
This case was investigated by APD and Deputy District Attorney Daniel Varon of the HEAT Unit is prosecuting this case.
Proposition 35 and HEAT
In November 2012, California’s anti-human trafficking Proposition 35 (Prop 35) was enacted in California with 81 percent of the vote, and over 82 percent of the vote in Orange County, to increase the penalty for human trafficking, particularly in cases involving the trafficking of a minor by force.
The Orange County District Attorney’s Human Exploitation And Trafficking (HEAT) Unit targets perpetrators who sexually exploit and traffic women and underage girls for financial gain, including pimps, panderers, and human traffickers. The HEAT Unit uses a tactical plan called PERP: Prosecution, to bring justice for victims of human trafficking and hold perpetrators responsible using Prop 35; Education, to provide law enforcement training to properly handle human trafficking and pandering cases; Resources from public-private partnerships to raise public awareness about human trafficking and provide assistance to the victims; and Publicity, to inform the public and send a message to human traffickers that this crime cannot be perpetrated without suffering severe consequences.