2 men plead not guilty in pimping case in Costa Mesa and Garden Grove

Two Palmdale men pleaded not guilty this week to prostitution-related charges involving young women in Costa Mesa and Garden Grove.

Antonio Alon Johnson, 22, is facing seven felony counts of pandering as well as felony counts of pimping, attempted pimping and conspiring to commit a crime, according to Orange County Superior Court records.

Johnson also has a 2013 conviction from a robbery in Los Angeles, according to the Orange County district attorney’s office.

If convicted of all charges, he could face up to 29 years in state prison.

Davishawn Paul Terrell-Kennedy, 23, is facing one felony count each of pandering and conspiring to commit a crime, according to court records.

If convicted of all charges, he could face a maximum of six years in state prison.

Prosecutors allege that between September and this month, Johnson pimped a 19-year-old woman and posted advertisements with sexually explicit photos of her on websites known for soliciting commercial sex.

In February, the woman’s mother contacted Costa Mesa police to report that her daughter was a potential victim of human trafficking. Police found the woman in a motel and launched an investigation into Johnson, according to the district attorney’s office.

Authorities also allege that Johnson and Terrell-Kennedy drove an 18-year-old woman from Las Vegas to Orange County to participate in prostitution for their benefit, according to the district attorney’s office.

On June 1, Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force detectives arrested Johnson and Terrell-Kennedy at a Garden Grove motel.

Prosecutors allege they had just left a motel room where the 19-year-old and 18-year-old women were meeting with a sex client.

Terrell-Kennedy and Johnson are expected to appear in court Tuesday for a pretrial hearing.

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @HannahFryTCN

UPDATES:

9 a.m. June 8: This article was updated with the arrest date.

This article was originally published at 7:05 p.m. June 7.