SANTA ANA, Calif. – Michael Terrell Armstrong, a 33-year-old Long Beach man with a prior conviction for kidnapping, has been charged with multiple s*x trafficking felonies after he was arrested by the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force (OCHTTF) at an Anaheim motel with a teenage girl he was selling for s*x.
On January 8, 2026, OCHTTF Investigators received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding a 17-year-old girl who was possibly the victim of s*x trafficking. The task force immediately launched a human trafficking investigation and began searching for the girl.
Just hours later, OCHTTF Investigators found the teenage girl and her trafficker, Armstrong, at an Anaheim motel. OCHTTF Investigators arrested Armstrong and provided victim services to the teenage girl.
The Orange County District Attorney’s Office Human Exploitation and Trafficking Unit (HEAT) has charged Armstrong with one felony count of human trafficking of a minor, one felony count of p*mping a minor over the age of 16 years, and one felony count of p*ndering with a minor over 16 years old. He faces a maximum sentence of 29 years in state prison if convicted on all charges. Prosecutors successfully argued for Armstrong to be kept in custody in lieu of $250,000 bond.
“The faces of human trafficking are unbelievably the faces of children, the most vulnerable victims who are being exploited by some of the most diabolical predators that exist. Our children are not for sale here in Orange County – or anywhere,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “Through our collaborative efforts, the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force continues to be a beacon of hope for victims that help is on the way and that we will be unrelenting in our efforts to rescue each and every victim of human trafficking – and to punish their traffickers with the full force of the law.”
This investigation illustrates the commitment of the OCHTTF and its partnering agencies in locating and identifying victims of pimping or human trafficking. The Anaheim Police Department and Waymakers co-chair the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force. The lead agencies for the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force also includes the California Highway Patrol, Garden Grove Police Department, Irvine Police Department, Santa Ana Police Department, California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, Orange County Probation Department, Orange County Social Services Agency, U.S. Attorney’s Office, and U.S. Department of Homeland Security. For more information about the OCHTTF, visit https://www.ochumantrafficking.com.
A critical component of the OCHTTF is the OCDA’s HEAT Unit, which targets perpetrators who s*xually exploit and traffic women and underage girls for financial gain, including p*mps, p*nderers, and human traffickers. The HEAT Unit uses a tactical plan called PERP: Prosecution, to bring justice for victims of human trafficking and hold perpetrators responsible using Prop 35; Education, to provide law enforcement training to properly handle human trafficking and p*ndering cases; Resources from public-private partnerships to raise public awareness about human trafficking and provide assistance to the victims; and Publicity, to inform the public and send a message to human traffickers that this crime cannot be perpetrated without suffering severe consequences.
If you, or anyone you know has been a victim of human trafficking, contact the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline at (888) 373-7888 or contact your local law enforcement department.
Deputy District Attorney Steven Bunn of the Human Exploitation and Trafficking Unit (HEAT) is prosecuting this case.
Prior Criminal History
Michael Terrell Armstrong has a prior criminal history. According to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office and law enforcement reports from January 2026, he has a prior conviction for kidnapping.
Following his arrest on January 8, 2026, he was also charged with several new s*x trafficking-related felonies:
- One felony count of human trafficking of a minor.
- One felony count of p*mping a minor over the age of 16.
- One felony count of p*ndering with a minor over 16.