Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Three Suspects Charged With 54 Felonies In Massive West Coast Sex Trafficking Ring
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, along with the sheriffs of Los Angeles and Tulare counties, announced on Thursday the filing of 54 felony charges against three individuals involved in one of the largest human sex trafficking cases on the West Coast.
Quinton Brown, Gerald Lavell Turner, and Mia McNeil are accused of operating a sex ring that involved minors, and spanned California, Nevada, and Texas. Brown, 30, and Turner, 32, are currently in custody, while McNeil is still at large.
.@LACoSheriff announced 13 young victs rescued, 2 susps arrested & 1 #wanted susp. TD approx. 200 victs rescued #HumanTrafficking #LASD pic.twitter.com/8twxAnsAXq
— LA County Sheriffs (@LASDHQ) July 27, 2017
According to the Los Angeles Times, the L.A. County Sheriff's Department received a tip in January of a missing girl from Tulare County living in a West Hollywood apartment. Upon entering the apartment, the sheriff's deputies discovered the minor along with two adults, and began learning of other sex trafficking victims. The six month investigation has led to the rescue of 13 minors and about 200 adults.
Support for LAist comes from
Brown, Turner, and McNeil are being charged with sex trafficking, pimping, pandering, grand theft and identity theft.
As the Times adds, Brown and Turner advertised and sold at least 13 women for sex over the internet, and even had sex with some of the minors. McNeil is accused of using stolen identities to lease apartments in Chatsworth, Bakersfield, and West Hollywood for use as brothels, and for purchasing vehicles to transport the victims.
Victims were between the ages of 15 and 21.
“These charges stem from the hard work of the Tulare County Sheriff’s Department, Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, Los Angeles Regional Human Trafficking Task Force, and the California Department of Justice attorneys and Special Agents," Becerra said during Thursday's press conference. "I want to thank our law enforcement partners for their efforts over the course of this six-month investigation to bring these defendants to justice.”
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars. -
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
-
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
-
With California voters facing a decision on redistricting this November, Surf City is poised to join the brewing battle over Congressional voting districts.
-
The drug dealer, the last of five defendants to plead guilty to federal charges linked to the 'Friends' actor’s death, will face a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison.
Best of LAist