OXNARD : Sex-Ring Operator Gets Early Release

An Oxnard man convicted of running the biggest prostitution ring in Ventura County was formally granted his early release from prison Wednesday in exchange for dropping a racism charge against prosecutors.

Henry Hardy Jr., 38, almost backed out of the agreement at the last minute when he has told he would be placed on parole for as long as three years.

But Hardy said he “grudgingly” would accept parole, after conferring with his attorney and being warned by Superior Court Judge Lawrence Storch that he might have to return to prison if he withdrew from the deal.

Hardy served 16 months of a six-year sentence after being convicted in 1991 of pimping and pandering while managing the Stardust Modeling Agency on Saviers Road in Oxnard.

The conviction was in jeopardy, however, after an appeals court ruled that Hardy should be allowed to pursue his racism claims as part of his defense.

The appeals court did not rule on the validity of the racism allegations, and the district attorney’s office has denied it had a racist motive in prosecuting Hardy.

Hardy contended he was a victim of discrimination because he was the only person prosecuted among several people arrested during a 1991 sweep of prostitution businesses, court documents say.

Hardy is black and the others who were arrested are white.

Prosecutors have said Hardy’s case was the only one with enough evidence to take to trial. They said they agreed to allow Hardy’s sentence to be reduced at this time to avoid possible lengthy litigation over the racism claim.

As part of the deal, Hardy pleaded guilty to the same charges he was convicted of in 1991. He also signed a form saying the district attorney’s office “did not engage in discriminatory or selective prosecution in the filing of these charges against me.”