Sacramento Man Found Guilty Of Sex Trafficking Operation
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal jury on Tuesday found a Sacramento man guilty of sex trafficking, prosecutors announced.
Antonio Deshawn Long-Andrews, 28, faces a sentence of up to life in prison and $250,000 in fines. He is scheduled to be sentenced on October 18, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a news release.
Between August 2017 and December 5, 2018, Long-Andrews used force and threats of force to get a young woman to perform sexual acts for his financial gain as part of a sex trafficking operation, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert said. Various sexual acts performed as part of the operation happened on the streets or inside motel rooms across the state, including in cities like Sacramento, Oakland, San Jose, Santa Ana and Orange.
Prosecutors said evidence presented at trial in September 2018 showed Long had repeatedly punched the young woman while they were inside his car outside a motel. When the woman tried to escape the car, an associate of Long-Andrews' prevented her from opening the door while Long-Andrews continued to assault her.
The victim was even dragged under Long-Andrews' car at one point. A motel camera captured the assault and there was also an eye witness, prosecutors said. Long-Andrews still forced the woman to perform work in his operation despite injuries she suffered during the assault.
Long-Andrews was arrested, and, while in the custody of the Sacramento County Main Jail, spoke to the woman over phone calls and maintained control over her, prosecutors said. He reportedly told her that she was expected to continue selling her body to strangers to make him money.
Long-Andrews was released from jail in November 2018. From his release until his arrest again on December 5, 2018, continued exploiting the victim for financial gain.