A Sacramento man was sentenced yesterday to 10 years in federal prison after prosecutors said he conspired to sex traffic an 18-year-old woman in San Diego. The punishment also includes roughly $9,950 in restitution.
Case details and plea
On Sept. 11, 22-year-old Darell Davis pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking through force, fraud, or coercion, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California. Prosecutors said the conspiracy ran from Dec. 15, 2022, to Jan. 11, 2023, and included transporting the victim from Sacramento to San Diego so he could sell sex acts for his own financial gain. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Derek Ko and Lyndzie M. Carter.
How prosecutors say the scheme worked
Investigators say Davis posted commercial sex advertisements featuring the victim on an adult website, kept a running ledger of her earnings, and enforced a daily quota that pushed her to work six days a week for up to 10 to 14 hours a day, according to FOX40. The woman told investigators she first met Davis when she was 17. She said he electronically tracked her location and that she feared him because he physically abused her and had a handgun.
Authorities arrested Davis outside a Chula Vista hotel. A search of his room turned up a loaded, non-serialized handgun and ammunition, according to investigators.
San Diego enforcement and local trend
The San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force and partner agencies handled the investigation, prosecutors said. San Diego has seen several high-profile federal prosecutions of trafficking operations in recent years, including the GirlsDoPorn case that drew national attention and resulted in lengthy prison sentences, as reported by AP News.
Charges, penalties, and resources
Conspiracy to commit sex trafficking through force, fraud, or coercion under 18 U.S.C. § 1594 can carry any term of years or life in prison and allows for forfeiture and restitution under federal law, according to the Legal Information Institute. "The smiles in online ads are a mask," U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon said in a press release, and California Attorney General Rob Bonta added that "sex trafficking through force, fraud or coercion is a terrible crime that has no place in California."
Officials urged anyone living under threat to call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at 888-373-7888 or text BeFree (233733), according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
