Man sentenced for pandering a girl and a woman in Santa Ana

Orange County District Attorney Press Release

For Immediate Release, Case # 13CF1659: July 18, 2013

DEFENDANT SENTENCED TO EIGHT YEARS IN PRISON FOR PANDERING 16-YEAR-OLD GIRL AND ANOTHER FEMALE VICTIM

SANTA ANA – A man was convicted and sentenced today to eight years in state prison for pandering a 16-year-old girl and an adult woman. Quandre Charles, 39, Merced, pleaded guilty to two felony counts of pandering by procuring and one felony count of sale of a person for immoral purposes.

Circumstances of the Case

Charles is a pimp/human trafficker who exploits women and/or children for financial gain.

Charles met 16-year-old Jane Doe #1 and convinced her that they were in a romantic relationship. He took all of the money she was paid for her acts of prostitution. The defendant had Jane Doe #1 tattoo Charles’ moniker, “Shampoo,” across her back. This is a tactic known to law enforcement used by pimps to brand prostitutes in order to demean and control them.

In May 2013, the Santa Ana Police Department (SAPD) set up an undercover sting operation and arranged to meet Jane Doe #1 at a motel in Santa Ana in response to an advertisement on a prostitution website offering sex and sex acts with Jane Doe #1 and 34-year-old Jane Doe #2.

On May 20, 2013, Charles had Jane Doe #1 wait in the motel room for the sex purchaser who responded to the online post. SAPD arrived and arrested the defendant at the scene. Charles was in possession of a video camera containing a recording of Jane Doe #1 performing sex acts.

The investigation by SAPD led to the identification of adult victim Jane Doe #2.

Proposition 35 and HEAT
In November 2012, California’s anti-human trafficking Proposition 35 (Prop 35) was enacted in California with 81 percent of the vote, and over 82 percent of the vote in Orange County, to increase the penalty for human trafficking, particularly in cases involving the trafficking of a minor by force.

Under the law, human trafficking is described as depriving or violating the personal liberty of another person with the intent to effect a violation of pimping or pandering. Pimping is described as knowingly deriving financial support in whole or in part from the proceeds of prostitution. Pandering is the act of persuading or procuring an individual to become a prostitute, or procuring and/or arranging for a person work in a house of prostitution. Deprivation or violation of the personal liberty of another includes substantial and sustained restriction of another’s liberty accomplished through force, fear, fraud, deceit, coercion, violence, duress, menace, or threat of unlawful injury to the victim or to another person, under circumstances where the person receiving or apprehending the threat reasonably believes that it is likely to be carried out.

The Orange County District Attorney’s Human Exploitation And Trafficking (HEAT) Unit targets perpetrators who sexually exploit and traffic women and underage girls for financial gain, including pimps, panderers, 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 pandering 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.

This case was investigated by SAPD and Deputy District Attorney Brad Schoenleben of the HEAT Unit prosecuted this case.

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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