Last month, police in Long Beach, CA, arrested Roshaun “Kevin” Nakia Porter in connection with a sting operation. Porter has since been charged in a federal court with two counts of forced labor and two counts of sex trafficking. The man allegedly forced five or more women into the prostitution after dating them.
The women, all in their 20s, claimed that Porter approached them via Craigslist and seekingarrangements.com, and dated them for months before coercing them to work for him. They claim they were unaware of each other during the time they dated Porter. Porter forced the women into the sex trade by means of physical violence and threats. Once involved in Porter’s sex trade, the women lived in a Motel 6.
“In one case, he locked a female in a room for several days with no food or clothes until she would comply with what he wanted” said Cpl. Anthony Bertagna of the Santa Ana police, in a statement to NBC Los Angeles. NBC also released statements from federal officials that Porter slapped one of the women in the face and threatened to kill her child if she left.
Porter’s case is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, which led to the federal charges. He was denied bail on April 12 and his trial will begin June 19. Should he be found guilty, he could be sentenced to a maximum sentence of life in federal prison.
