Sacramento man arrested for pimping teen after 10-month investigation, California AG says

A Sacramento man was arrested on suspicion of trafficking a minor throughout multiple California counties, Attorney General Rob Bonta said Tuesday.

The suspect was charged with pimping of a minor under 16, pandering of a minor under 16 and human trafficking of a minor in Sacramento Superior Court.

“Human trafficking — and especially the trafficking of children — will not be tolerated in California, period,” Bonta said in a statement.

The arrest resulted from a 10-month investigation by the California Department of Justice’s human trafficking and sexual predator apprehension team, which specializes in investigating criminal exploitation of children.

The victim in the case was provided support services by Child Welfare Services, a program within California’s Department of Social Services, according to a news release.

“I am grateful for my team’s work in this case, as well as for the hundreds of arrests they have made and victims they have supported since starting this work in 2021,” Bonta said in a statement. “We will continue to keep at it, every day, as one person exploited is one too many in California, or anywhere else.”

This is the latest arrest for the state’s human trafficking team, which has to date arrested 627 traffickers and assisted 647 victims throughout the state, the Department of Justice said.

In California, human trafficking is most common among the hospitality, domestic work and construction industries, the Department of Justice said. Human trafficking victims are also often found among migrant and seasonal agricultural workers, residential care workers and in California’s clothing industries, according to the news release.