O.C. pair accused of turning 14-year-old girl into prostitute
A 33-year-old man accused of forcing a 14-year-old girl into prostitution is the first person in Orange County to be charged under an anti-human-trafficking law passed by California voters in November.
Chuncey Tarae Garcia has been charged with felony counts of human trafficking of a minor by force or fear, pimping a minor and forcible rape, according to the Orange County district attorney’s office.
Garcia is accused of being a pimp and working with Cierra Melissa Robinson, 27, who is accused of working for him as a prostitute.
Robinson has also been charged with felony counts of human trafficking of a minor and pandering of a minor under 16 and with a misdemeanor count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, prosecutors said.
She is set to appear in court Friday, with Garcia as a co-defendant.
Robinson is accused of introducing a 14-year-old girl to Garcia last month. The girl was a runaway from another state who had been reported missing by her family, prosecutors said.
Garcia and Robinson are accused of then taking the girl to a motel room where, authorities said, Garcia told the girl that she would be working for him as a prostitute.
Prosecutors say Garcia then took the girl to Buena Park and forced her to walk the streets in a high-prostitution areas in an effort to attract customers.
Garcia is also accused of posting ads of the girl on prostitution websites and of setting a daily quota that the girl had to meet under the threat of withholding food if she did not fulfill her obligations.
According to prosecutors, Garcia and Robinson outlined rules for the girl, including price ranges for various sex acts, a dress code, assigned seats in the car and proper names to call Garcia, such as “Daddy” and “Sir.”
Garcia is accused of raping the the 14-year-old after her first day as a prostitute.
On March 1, prosecutors say, a Garden Grove police officer pulled over a car in a high-prostitution area because it had a broken headlight.
Garcia, Robinson, another woman and the girl were in the car, and the police officer became suspicious because the girl looked so young. The officer later identified the girl as a missing person, and she was taken into protective custody.
Garcia and Robinson were arrested at the scene.
If convicted, Garcia faces a maximum sentence of 28 years to life in prison. He is being held on $1-million bail. Robinson would face a maximum sentence of 12 years in prison and is also being held on $1-million bail.
In November, California voters passed Proposition 35. The law increases the penalties for human trafficking, particularly in cases involving the trafficking of a minor by force.
The law increased the maximum sentence for human trafficking of a minor by force or fear to 15 years to life in state prison, compared with eight years in state prison previously, according to prosecutors.
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Twitter: @nicolesantacruz
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