LOS ANGELES – On December 2, 2016, Attorney General Kamala Harris announced that Andrew Jordan, 37, was sentenced to 21 years, 4 months in prison in Los Angeles County Superior Court after being found guilty on felony charges, including human trafficking, pimping, pandering, domestic violence, and assault.
“Today’s sentence sends a clear signal that this form of modern-day slavery will not be tolerated,” said Harris. “I want to thank the Long Beach Police Department, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, the Simi Valley Police Department, the Long Beach City Prosecutor’s Office and the lawyers and Special Agents of our own California Department of Justice for their continued efforts to work collaboratively to hold human traffickers accountable and secure justice for the survivors.”
The guilty verdict follows a joint investigation in which law enforcement officers and agents in Long Beach identified human trafficking victims who were exploited by Jordan, leading to Jordan’s September 2015 arrest.
“Human trafficking is a despicable crime that victims carry with them for the rest of their lives,” said California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA) President Alan Barcelona. “A sentence of 21-plus years sends a strong message to those horrible criminals who take violent, threatening control of an individual and force them into slavery for their own personal financial gain. I thank DOJ special agents and all law enforcement officers who know the signs and take action to set free the victims. We must assist these victims on their road to recovery.”
After a nearly two-week trial, a jury returned its verdicts on September 15, 2016, finding Jordan guilty as charged. The victims testified that Jordan forced them to commit commercial sex acts and kept the proceeds. He dropped each victim off in known prostitution areas and ordered them to solicit business. He monitored their whereabouts by circling the streets and via text message. He collected the money in between sex acts and set strict rules, including how much time the victims should be with a client, what geographic areas they could go to, and how much they needed to make each day. Each victim recounted occasions where she broke one of the rules and was severely punished by Jordan with a physical beating.
Jordan’s sentencing follows another recent and ongoing human trafficking investigation by DOJ special agents in San Diego, dubbed “Operation Hotel Tango.” In June 2016, Operation Hotel Tango resulted in the arrests of three people. The investigation was conducted by the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force, which includes the California Department of Justice and 19 local and federal law enforcement agencies. Arrested were:
• Tyrone Evans, 40, who was charged on 22 felony counts of human trafficking, pimping and pandering in San Diego County.
• Lila Leflorsm, 36, and
• Natasha McElrath, 37.
The two women are accused of using social media to recruit teenage girls and negotiate transactions.