Las Vegas man arrested for sex trafficking of 14-year-old in Anaheim

On Tuesday, investigators with the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force received information about a 14-year-old girl who was being exploited for commercial prostitution, according to the Anaheim Police Department.

Later that same day, OCHTTF investigators found the girl in Anaheim and launched an investigation to determine who was responsible for the trafficking. OCHTTF investigators were assisted by the California Highway Patrol Border Division’s Investigative Services Unit and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Less than twelve (12) hours after receiving information about the victim, the OCHTTF and assisting agencies secured the victim and apprehended the suspect responsible for the trafficking. Officers attempted to stop a vehicle driven by the suspect, but the man did not stop and led officers on a short chase. During the pursuit, the 36-year-old man drove Marcus Boyd of Las Vegas, Nevada, fled the vehicle on foot and was later arrested. Investigators searched the vehicle driven by Boyd and found a firearm silencer.

Boyd was arrested for several offenses, including human trafficking of a minor, pimping of a minor, possession of a silencer, eluding police and other offenses, and booked into the Anaheim Police Department Detention Center.

On Thursday, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office charged Boyd with PC 236.1(c) – Trafficking of a Minor, PC 266i(a)/(b)(2) – Fostering a Minor Under 16, PC 33410 – Possession of a Silencer, VC 2800.1(a) – Fleeing a Police Officer and PC 148(a)(1) – Resisting and Obstructing a Police Officer. Boyd remains in custody and is being held on $1 million bail.

This investigation illustrates the commitment of the OCHTTF and its partner agencies to finding and identifying victims of pimping or human trafficking. The Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force is co-led by the Anaheim Police Department and Waymakers. Lead agencies on the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force also include the California Highway Patrol, Irvine Police Department, Santa Ana Police Department, Orange County District Attorney’s Office, Orange County Probation Department, Orange County Department of Social Services, Salvation Army, U.S. Attorney’s Office, and U.S. Department of Homeland Security. For more information on the OCHTTF, visit https://www.ochumantrafficking.com.

A key component of the OCHTTF is OCDA’s Human Exploitation And Trafficking (HEAT) Unit, which targets perpetrators who sexually exploit and traffic women and underage girls for financial gain, including pimps, procurers, and traffickers. The HEAT Unit uses a tactical plan called PERP: law enforcement to bring justice to victims of human trafficking and hold perpetrators accountable under Prop 35; education to train law enforcement officers to properly handle human trafficking and procuring cases; resources from public-private partnerships to raise public awareness of human trafficking and provide assistance to victims; and community outreach to educate the public and send the message to traffickers that this crime cannot be committed without serious consequences.

Human trafficking is defined by law as the deprivation or violation of another person’s personal liberty with the intent to commit an offense of pimping or procuring. Pimping is defined as knowingly providing financial support in whole or in part from the proceeds of prostitution. Procuring is the act of persuading or procuring a person to become a prostitute or procuring and/or arranging for a person to work in a brothel.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of human trafficking, you can contact the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline at (888) 373-7888 or your local police department.

For more information about @ochttf, visit https://www.ochumantrafficking.com.

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The blog “New Santa Ana” has been reporting on news, events and politics in Santa Ana since 2009.