A Long Beach man accused of tricking women he met online into what they thought was a monogamous relationship only to force them into prostitution was charged in federal court Monday.
The alleged behavior of Roshaun “Kevin” Nakia Porter closely resembles that of what human trafficking experts call a Romeo Pimp, the kind of guy who romances a woman before forcing her into prostitution.
“There is a grooming period when they wine and dine them and they get caught up in the life whether they want to or not,” said Melissa Whetten with OC Human Trafficking Task Force.
Porter was arraigned in federal court Monday, April 30, when we was charged with two counts of forced labor and two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion.
The case goes back to early April when police set up a sting operation at a Santa Ana Doubletree Hotel. Police said five women responded and each claimed they were forced into working for Porter.
A federal indictment notes that their stories were the same: the 20-something women had met the Long Beach man on Craigslist and seekingarrangement.com and began to date the suspect for months.
The women claimed that they believed they were entering in a monogamous relationship with Porter, according to a law enforcement statement released Tuesday.
Local
Get Los Angeles's latest local news on crime, entertainment, weather, schools, COVID, cost of living and more. Here's your go-to source for today's LA news.
Those women ended up living at a Motel 6, where Porter would allegedly threaten them, sometimes tying them up if they refused to turn tricks.
“In one case, he locked a female in a room for several days with no food or clothes until she would comply with what he wanted,” said Cpl. Anthony Bertagna with Santa Ana police.
One of the women taped a phone call from Porter in which, according to the indictment, he can be heard saying: “I field my hustle so you can make $1,000 a day. So how much did you make today? $680? That means you owe me $340 because my time is money.”
Some of the victims claimed they tried to run away from Porter only to be threatened through text messages and phone calls, the statement noted.
Federal officials said Porter slapped one of the women in the face and threatened to kill her child if she left.
Whetten is working with some of the victims now, trying to get them into counseling, a new home and away from the suspect.
The FBI and Santa Ana Police Department Special Investigations Vice Unit are collaborating in the investigation. Porter is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Porter was denied bail during a detention hearing on April 12. His trial is scheduled for June 19.
If convicted, he faces a statutory maximum penalty of life in federal prison.
Follow NBCLA for the latest LA news, events and entertainment: iPhone/iPad App | Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | Instagram | RSS | Text Alerts | Email Alerts
