A 31-year-old Baldwin Village man pleaded not guilty Thursday to federal charges accusing him of sex trafficking two teenage girls along South Los Angeles's Figueroa Corridor and attempting to kidnap a woman outside a mobile phone store. Derrick Harrison Brooks Jr. entered his plea in downtown Los Angeles federal court, where a magistrate judge had already ordered him held without bond last month.
Brooks faces four counts: two counts of sex trafficking children by force, fraud or coercion, one count of distributing controlled substances to a person under 21, and one count of attempted kidnapping, according to MyNewsLA.com. The investigation involved HSI, the Los Angeles Police Department, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and IRS-CI. His trial is scheduled for December 1.
A 15-Year-Old's Alleged Escape
Federal prosecutors allege that in November 2025, Brooks trafficked a 15-year-old girl, driving her from California to Colorado in his green limousine for commercial sex work and demanding she earn $1,000 a day, per the same MyNewsLA.com account. Prosecutors say Brooks physically assaulted the girl several times, including one attack that left her fearing for her life, and that he posted a Craigslist advertisement for her. The girl eventually returned to Los Angeles and escaped Brooks while working along the Figueroa Corridor, according to the report.
The Figueroa Corridor, often called “The Blade,” is a stretch of Figueroa Street in South Los Angeles long associated with street prostitution. MyNewsLA.com describes it as roughly 3.5 miles long, while Hoodline's earlier reporting put the corridor at approximately four miles, running from Gage Avenue to Imperial Highway near major civic hubs like Crypto.com Arena and the Los Angeles Convention Center.
Second Teen Allegedly Trafficked Months Later
Prosecutors allege Brooks trafficked a second girl, 17, in January and February of this year, also putting her to work along the Figueroa Corridor. According to the account, he physically assaulted her as well and knowingly distributed ecstasy to her — a claim that matches the federal indictment's count of distributing controlled substances to a person under 21.
A third allegation involves an adult woman. Prosecutors say Brooks assaulted the woman at his Baldwin Village apartment in August, choking and punching her in the face before she fled to a nearby mobile phone store. He allegedly followed her there and attempted to kidnap her. Brooks was arrested in connection with that incident about two weeks later, the outlet reported.
Potential Sentence Tops Out at Life
If convicted on all counts, Brooks faces a statutory mandatory minimum of 15 years in federal prison and a maximum of life imprisonment, MyNewsLA.com reported. Under 18 U.S.C. § 1591, sex trafficking of a minor by force or coercion carries that same 15-year mandatory minimum, according to analysis from legal resource WhiteCollar.net.
Part of a Broader Crackdown on The Blade
In July, federal and local agencies executed “Operation Broken Blade,” with nine people arrested. Across the operation, 65 criminal counts were charged against 18 defendants, including counts involving sex trafficking, drug dealing and RICO, as the Los Angeles Times reported at the time.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced a specialized enforcement initiative targeting exploiters, buyers, and pimps on Figueroa to mark National Human Trafficking Prevention Month.
The 2022 Safer Streets for All Act repealed the former loitering-for-prostitution statute.
Another Federal Case on the Corridor
In June, a federal jury convicted former Perris resident Elias Abdul Shabazz of sex trafficking charges for coercing a victim into commercial sex work on the same corridor, Hoodline reported.
Brooks's trial is set for December 1, and the charges against him remain allegations that prosecutors must prove in court. His not-guilty plea sets up a test of evidence gathered across the FBI, the Los Angeles Police Department, the Pomona Police Department, and the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office in the weeks ahead.
