Man charged with forcing girl into prostitution
A Los Angeles man faces several criminal charges stemming from his arrest last week on suspicion of forcing a child into prostitution and sexually assaulting her, police said.
LAPD officers and FBI agents took Michael Vincent Pree, 23, into custody Dec. 21. He is accused of having sex with a 12-year-old girl repeatedly over the course of a week and forcing her to work as a prostitute during the same period, according to information released by police Monday.
Pree allegedly committed the crimes earlier this year, although authorities did not specify the date. They also did not provide details on how Pree came in contact with the girl and how police learned of his alleged crimes.
After being held about 12 hours, Pree posted $50,000 bail and was released, records show. His next court date is Jan. 12.
The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office has charged Pree with aggravated sexual assault of a minor, pimping and lewd acts upon a child, police said.
The LAPD officers involved in the arrest belong to the Innocence Lost task force — a group targeting sexual exploitation of children. The task force, consisting of several local and federal agencies, is one of dozens of similar task forces operating in police departments throughout the U.S. as part of a coordinated campaign run by the FBI.
These groups have worked successfully to rescue more than 1,800 children and have led to the conviction of more than 800 pimps, madams and their associates who exploit children through prostitution.
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