A San Diego federal jury has delivered a guilty verdict against Steven Terrell Lewis from El Cajon, after he was charged with trying to coerce a minor and an adult into prostitution. As reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Lewis's targeting of a 14-year-old and a 22-year-old woman for his sex trafficking operation concluded with his arrest and subsequent trial.
Trial evidence indicated that on April 22, 2024, Lewis used his vehicle to trap the teen on her way to a friend’s house and took her phone number by force. What followed was a series of sexually explicit text messages that forced the victim to block his number, although he persisted from another line. Meanwhile, Lewis's attempt to recruit a 22-year-old woman later turned to threats when she did not comply with his demands.
After the minor reported Lewis, identifying him as "Pimpin," agencies, including the El Cajon Police and the San Diego Sheriff’s Office, mobilized. The latter incident, involving the adult victim and undercover intervention, contributed to a cohesive response from the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force, which led to Lewis’s arrest on May 16, 2024, as per the U.S. Attorney's Office.
"The jury's guilty verdicts are a powerful reminder that human trafficking has no place in our society," U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon said, per the Justice Department's website. "These verdicts are not just justice for the victims – it is a warning to human traffickers everywhere that those who exploit and attempt to exploit others for profit will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of law, no matter how long it takes." Lewis now awaits his sentencing, which is scheduled for August 1.
Lewis faces a range of penalties from a ten-year mandatory minimum up to life imprisonment for the attempted coercion and enticement of a minor and a fifteen-year compulsory minimum to life for the attempted sex trafficking by force or coercion. The investigation, as it stands, reveals the scope of Lewis's activities could involve more victims, inferred from a photograph of a note found on Lewis's phone during the search. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lyndzie M. Carter and Derek Ko successfully prosecuted the case.
