| For Immediate Release Case # 13CF0801 June 3, 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 SEX TRAFFICKING OF FEMALE VICTIM AND PIMPING HER AND TWO OTHERS AFTER POSTING AD ON SEX WEBSITE
*Defendant was arrested in undercover sting operation
SANTA ANA – A man arrested in an undercover sting operation will be arraigned tomorrow for sexually trafficking one woman and pimping three women for financial gain after advertising the victims on a sex website. Harvey Rashad McNight, 29, San Diego, is charged with one felony count of human trafficking, three felony counts of pimping, and three felony counts of pandering by procuring. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 28 years in state prison. McNight is being held on $150,000 bail and is scheduled for a post-preliminary hearing arraignment tomorrow, Tuesday, June 4, 2013, at 8:30 a.m. in Department C-5, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana.
Circumstances of the Case
McNight is accused of being a pimp/modern-day slave owner who exploits women and/or children for financial gain. In this case, he is accused of pimping three women, ages 20 to 40. 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,” setting daily quotas that the victims are expected to fulfill, and assigning seats in the car based on “rank.” Failure to follow these rules can result in deprivation of food and/or physical and/or emotional abuse.
Prior to March 2013, McNight is accused of trafficking Jane Doe #1 by driving her against her will from San Diego to Las Vegas to sexually exploit her as her pimp for financial gain. He is accused of threatening Jane Doe #1 that he would beat her, take her cell phone, and leave her naked if she did not comply.
In March 2013, the defendant is accused of advertising his victims on a website known for pimping and prostitution. The Orange County District Attorney’s Office is declining to release the name of the website. In a sting operation by the Santa Ana Police Department (SAPD), an undercover officer located the advertisement and posed as a sex purchaser. The officer arranged to meet the three victims in a Santa Ana motel room on March 8, 2013.
On March 8, 2013, McNight is accused of trafficking Jane Doe #1 from San Diego to Orange County against her will to engage in sex acts. He is accused of pimping Jane Doe #1 and two other victims by arranging for them to meet the undercover officer for sex acts that day. The three victims were contacted by the officer in the motel room and other waiting officers were then notified to enter the premises. McNight is accused of being identified as the victims’ pimp based on identifying information at the scene.
That same day, McNight is accused of returning to the motel room to collect the money paid to the three victims and was arrested at the scene. McNight is accused of having text messages from the victims calling him “Daddy” on his phone.