Eight men convicted of loitering or trying to hook up with prostitutes

Orange County District Attorney Press Release

For Immediate Release: February 14, 2014

EIGHT MEN CONVICTED OF LOITERING OR AGREEING TO ENGAGE IN PROSTITUTION

SANTA ANA – The Orange County District Attorney’s Office (OCDA) convicted eight men of loitering and/or agreeing to engage in prostitution in January 2014. The defendants in these cases approached a woman, whom they believed to be a prostitute, in areas known for prostitution and human trafficking in Orange County. They agreed to engage in commercial sex or loitered with intent to commit prostitution to engage in prostitution with a woman or an undercover officer and were subsequently arrested by law enforcement.

Garden Grove Police Department, Orange County Sheriff’s Department, and Santa Ana Police Department investigated these cases. Deputy District Attorney Michael Bardeen of the HEAT Unit prosecuted these cases.

The defendants below each pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of agreeing to engage in prostitution and/or loitering with the intent to commit prostitution. The defendants were each sentenced up to three years informal probation, up to 15 days in jail with the possibility of CalTrans in lieu of jail, must submit to AIDS testing and education, and some were required to donate to the Victim/Witness Emergency fund.

· Alejandro Guadalupe Avon, 21, Anaheim

· Jorge Uriel Cabrera, 43, Orange

· Bruno Garcia, 52, Anaheim

· Kaveh Kiaie, 54, Tustin

· Andrew An Nguyen, 22, Lakewood

· Jorge Polanco, 48, Anaheim

· Jamie Enrique Rico, 27, Santa Ana

Tuan Quoc Nguyen, 33, Huntington Beach, was found guilty by a jury Jan. 8, 2014, of one misdemeanor count each of agreeing to engage in prostitution and loitering with the intent to commit prostitution and was sentenced to the terms listed above.

These cases were prosecuted by the OCDA Human Exploitation And Trafficking (HEAT) Unit, which targets perpetrators who sexually exploit and traffic women and underage girls for financial gain, including pimps, panderers, and human traffickers. Commercial sex trafficking is the second most lucrative criminal enterprise behind narcotics trafficking. Often the perpetrators are gang members and/or career criminals.

The HEAT Unit also targets defendants who create a demand for prostitution by soliciting and purchasing sex, which increases the commercial sexual exploitation of women and children. The HEAT Unit uses a tactical plan called PERP: Prosecution of human trafficking perpetrators and sex purchasers; Education for law enforcement to properly handle human trafficking and pandering cases; Resources to raise public awareness and provide assistance to the victims; and Publicity to inform the community about the problem and notify human traffickers and sex purchasers that this crime cannot be perpetrated without suffering severe consequences.

The OCDA announced in April 2013 that he will publicize the names of defendants convicted of sexually exploiting women or children by soliciting sex acts as part of the campaign to reduce the demand of human exploitation and trafficking.

A press release will be sent out once a month detailing the arrests and convictions of sex purchasers.

###

Tony Rackauckas, District Attorney 401 Civic Center Drive West Santa Ana, CA 92701

Contacts:

Susan Kang Schroeder Chief of Staff Office: 714-347-8408 Cell: 714-292-2718

Farrah Emami Spokesperson Office: 714-347-8405 Cell: 714-323-4486