A Compton mother and her son have been indicted on charges that they allegedly turned two 13-year-old girls into sex slaves, the Justice Department announced. Daisy Pollard-Gilliam, 41, known as "Queen," and her son Reuben Gilliam, 24, nicknamed "Tre," are facing a six-count indictment, which includes conspiring to commit sex trafficking of minors and two counts each of sex trafficking of a minor.
Officials at the Department of Justice said that the duo preyed on the teens in June of the last year, forcing them into prostitution. Reuben Gilliam is also accused of producing and distributing child pornography in a chilling twist to an already harrowing case. His mother faces an additional charge of felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. According to the indictment obtained by the Justice Department, Reuben Gilliam is currently in state custody on unrelated charges and is slated to be transferred to federal custody soon. Meanwhile Daisy Pollard-Gilliam was arrested on April 24 and ordered to remain in jail without bond, with her arraignment scheduled for May 14.
The court documents reveal that the two minors were intercepted on a street by a vehicle containing three men, including Reuben Gilliam. Subsequently, they were reportedly made to engage in sexual acts with multiple adults, including the accused and undisclosed clients. The Justice Department states that the victims were commanded to dress in lingerie, to pose for pictures to advertise the sex services – the customers told one victim they paid $100 for intercourse, which was then collected by the defendants.
The stark nature of the crime was further exposed when the defendants, upon seeing social media posts about the missing children, allegedly decided to transfer the victims to evade capture. Authorities managed to locate and rescue the young girls on June 9 from a recreational vehicle parked in Gardena. During the rescue, items such as clothing and a cellphone, allegedly given to the victims by the suspects, were seized. The Justice Department details that Daisy Pollard-Gilliam had distributed images and videos of the exploited minors to an inmate at Kern Valley State Prison, further entangling the digital thread of evidence.
Turning to social media, Reuben Gilliam's Instagram account showed conversations about the trafficking of the victims – as per a search warrant highlighted by the Justice Department. If convicted, both mother and son could face a minimum of 15 years to life imprisonment. Amidst mounting evidence and the ongoing investigation by the FBI and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Assistant United States Attorneys Damaris Diaz and Angela C. Makabali are prosecuting this disturbing case, shedding light on a sinister trade that exploits the innocence of the youth.
Public Information Officer Ciaran McEvoy urges members of the public who have any information on child sex crimes to come forward and report tips to the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office or via the provided online platform. The community’s vigilance in such cases is crucial for safeguarding the welfare of children at risk of falling prey to such heinous acts.
