A Contra Costa County jury convicted 2026-10-15 Richmond-area defendant Jamarr Lamont Victor of human trafficking of a minor, closing out a case that began when a 16-year-old girl placed a 911 call from Richmond. The verdict came down on October 15, and prosecutors say it started with the girl reaching out to police herself.
A 911 Call Breaks the Case Open
According to a Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office post, the 16-year-old girl's call to 911 in Richmond set the investigation in motion, with the Richmond Police Department contributing to the case that ultimately led to Victor's conviction. Deputy District Attorney Jessica Murad, who prosecuted the case, also played a role in securing the conviction, alongside partners from the broader human trafficking task force network that worked the investigation.
District Attorney Diana Becton said traffickers often target children for sex work because they believe no one will listen to minors when they report harm. “The verdict shows that her office, law enforcement partners, and the community were listening,” Becton said, framing the jury's decision as a direct answer to that assumption.
A Prosecutor With a Track Record in These Cases
Murad is assigned to the District Attorney's Sexual Assault Unit and has handled other high-profile child exploitation prosecutions before, including the 2020 conviction of a local youth coach who attempted to meet a minor for sex, according to the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office on Facebook. That background places Victor's case within a broader pattern of the office's sustained focus on crimes involving minors.
Victor's conviction follows a string of recent Contra Costa trafficking prosecutions. Hoodline previously reported on an Antioch case in which prosecutors charged 32-year-old Raymond Jamar Brooks with trafficking involving minors and adult women in September, holding him on $1 million bail while appealing for more victims to come forward, as reported by SFGate.
How the Task Force Fits Together
Victor's case moved through the same multi-agency structure that has driven other recent arrests in the county. After a federal Office for Victims of Crime grant was awarded in October 2018, the Contra Costa Human Trafficking Task Force launched in 2019 and was co-led by the District Attorney's Office and Community Violence Solutions, according to the Contra Costa County Human Trafficking Task Force, which pairs law enforcement investigations with specialized survivor support. That same task force ran a weeklong operation called Operation Reclaim and Rebuild in January, recovering 20 survivors and making 11 arrests, per the Richmond Standard.
What Victor Could Face
California voters passed Proposition 35, the Californians Against Sexual Exploitation Act, in 2012. The measure expanded trafficking definitions and raised potential sentences for offenses involving minors to life in prison, with fines up to $1 million, per Eisner Gorin LLP.
Survivors and community members seeking help can reach Community Violence Solutions' 24-hour support line at 1-800-670-7273. Those with information about potential trafficking cases can also contact the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office Human Trafficking Tip Line at (925) 957-8658.
