STAFF REPORTS

Inland Empire – According to the office of Supervisor Don Knabe, chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Human sex trafficking is a growing issue in this country, with children as young as 12-years of age being sexually exploited for profit. This heinous crime seems rampant, and Knabe headlined a panel, which included a trafficking survivor, at the national level to take action against it including the expansion of penalties for buyers and sellers, developing programs for survivors, and creating anti-child sex trafficking awareness campaigns to educate the public.

While the war against this crime is waging, the effects have hit close to home. On Fri., May 9 an Inland Empire couple pled guilty in United States District Court to federal charges of trafficking for a child used in prostitution. They admitted to forcing a 14-year old girl to work as a prostitute.

The office of Assistant United States Attorney, Thomas D. Stout, released a statement that Kawaum Marquez Scott, 24 of Quail Valley, and Nekeyia Necole Weatherspoon, 22, of Perris, advertised the victim on the Internet, drove her to destinations in Hemet to engage in prostitution, made her lie about her age and use an alias, and kept all the money paid for the acts.

Scott pled guilty to two counts of sex trafficking, and Weatherspoon pled guilty to one count of conspiracy. Prosecution is seeking 210 months of federal imprisonment for Scott, and 168 months for Weatherspoon. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 21.

If that weren’t enough, Fri., May 9 also saw an Orange County man sentenced to 14-years for forcing a Southern California woman across state lines to work as a prostitute. William Earl “Andre” Flavors was convicted – for essentially the third time – for engaging in illegal activity for the same crimes he was released from prison for, according to the office of Assistant United States Attorney, Brett A. Sagel.

Flavors was convicted of acting as a pimp, physically abusing women – the youngest just 15-years old – and forcing them into prostitution with a multitude of threats. Women were abused and trafficked from Washington to Southern California and Las Vegas. He has received another sentence of ten years in federal prison on top of a four year sentence he received last year for related conduct and violating the regulations of his first release.