LOS ANGELES — from www.presstelegram.com – A Long Beach man was arraigned Monday in federal court following a grand jury indictment for sex trafficking and forced labor in connection with a prostitution ring that forced women to work in the sex trade in Orange County, federal and local officials said Tuesday.
Roshaun, aka “Kevin,” Nakia Porter, 36, of Long Beach, was indicted by a federal grand jury on April 25. The indictment includes a two counts of forced labor and two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, according to court documents.
According to the criminal complaint, the FBI was contacted by Santa Ana Police Department detectives following an undercover operation by Santa Ana’s Vice unit in early April. During that sting operation, five women told the vice detectives that they were being forced to work as prostitutes and that Porter was a pimp who controlled a prostitution ring in the Orange County area.
The man was able to keep control of the women, including some who tried to run away, through physical violence and threats to the women and their families, authorities said Tuesday.
The federal complaint alleges the victims told police Porter met them through personal ads placed on www.craigslist.com and www.seekingarrangements.com.
The victims claimed they responded to Porter’s ads and believed they were entering into a monogamous relationship with him. After a romantic relationship was established, however, Porter forced them to work as prostitutes.
The women also said they had no means to support themselves and they lived and worked in hotels in Orange County while under Porter’s control.
The complaint further alleges Porter charged customers between $100 and $300 for fifteen to 60 minutes of “illicit sex,” and that all the money was turned over to Porter by the victims.
“Additionally, Porter threatened victims by telling them that if they tried to leave, he would find them and hurt their families,” according to the criminal complaint. “Some of the victims claimed they tried to run away from Porter and that he would respond by threatening them via text message and phone calls.”
If Porter is convicted on all counts, he faces the possibility life in federal prison.
A trial date is scheduled for June 19; Porter is being held without bail, according to federal authorities.
Porter’s indictment was announced Tuesday by André Birotte, Jr., the United States Attorney in Los Angeles; Steven Martinez, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office and Paul Walters, Chief of the Santa Ana Police Department, based on investigators’ belief that Porter may have victimized more women.