In the past, it was uncommon to see people going to jail for the rest of their lives for pimping, despite the age of the person they were exploiting. Over the past few years, however, people accused with sexually exploiting others, particularly minors, for the purposes of profit have been facing harsher penalties for their actions.
The justice system is finally realizing the seriousness of these crimes. Although some of these ‘pimps' are still given relatively light sentences, it is not uncommon to see people going to jail for the rest of their life for committing these crimes. This is particularly true when a minor is involved in the case. Here is a list of recent court cases that resulted in life sentences for the accused pimps.
Juan Rico Doss
(Convicted in 2006)
Juan Rico Doss, 28, of Nevada was found guilty of two counts of sex trafficking of children, three counts of transporting minors into prostitution, one count of conspiracy, and two counts of witness tampering.
Doss conspired with his wife, Jacquay Quinn Ford, to transport two girls, aged 14 and 16 across state lines to work as prostitutes in prostitutes in Oakland, San Francisco, Sacramento and Los Angeles. The16-year-old was recruited and transported by use of force.
He was sentenced to life in federal prison without parole. His wife pleaded guilty to conspiracy and cooperated with the government, testifying against her husband. She was sentenced to 15 months in prison. Doss is among the first convicts in the nation to receive a mandatory life sentence under federal law for repeated sex offenses against children.
Lucita Abello Magnifico
(Convicted in 2007)
Lucita Abello Magnifico, from Philippines, was found guilty beyond reasonable doubt and sentenced to life imprisonment and ordered to pay a fine of P2 million pesos for trafficking a minor in a sex trade.
Magnifico in conspiracy with the victim's aunt and her live-in partner, used and maintained the young girl as a prostitute. Magnifico and the aunt brought customers for the young girl and exploited her vulnerability.
Magnifico is also ordered to pay the victim an amount of P10,000 as nominal damages.
The aunt of the victim and her live-in partner face the same criminal case but have remained at large.
Carlos Curtis
(Convicted in 2004)
In July 2004, a federal jury found Carlos Curtis guilty of sex trafficking of children, specifically prostituting a 12-year-old and a 17-year-old girl; transportation of minors for prostitution; transportation of a person for prostitution; and possession of child pornography. He was sentenced to life in prison for his crimes.
In 2002, Curtis and an accomplice enticed a twelve-year-old runaway child to become a prostitute by offering her food, clothing, and shelter. The other women included a 17-year-old runaway child and a 26-year-old woman.
The Court noted that the defendant had two prior offenses, a 1997 conviction for promoting prostitution with a minor - a case which involved the defendant prostituting two 14-year-olds, and a prior conviction for importing a Controlled Substance (over a kilo of cocaine) into Maryland. The Court stated that a life sentence was necessary to adequately punish the defendant and to protect the public.
Benjamin Johnson
(Convicted in 2003)
Benjamin Johnson, 39, from Newport, South Wales, was given two life sentences after he was found guilty of two charges of supplying a young girl with heroin, procuring her to become a prostitute, living off her earnings as a prostitute, abducting and raping her. He was also found him guilty of raping another woman, aged 22, and living off her earnings
Johnson introduced the young girl to heroin so he could persuade her into prostitution when she was just 13 or 14. He supplied her with heroin until she was addicted. She had to resort to in order to pay Johnson for the heroin.
Johnson has 13 previous convictions for offences including rape, grievous bodily harm with intent and theft.
Jackie Williams and Michael Jones
(Convicted in 2007)
Jackie Williams, 37, from Nevada was sentenced to two life terms in prison for pimping out her pre-teen daughters to her boyfriend.
Her boyfriend, Michael Jones, was also sentenced to two life prison terms for raping his girlfriend's daughters in Reno while she supervised.
Neither of the two is eligible for parole until after at least 40 years. Her children were only 11 and 12 when Williams allowed Jones to have sex with both of them. Reno police were alerted to the abuse after abandoned journals were found written by the couple and the oldest daughter, who was 12, that detailed the abuse of the girl and her 11-year-old sister in 2004.
Jaron Brice
(Convicted in 2006)
In 2006, Jaron Brice, 31, from Washington, D.C., was convicted of nine felony counts, including sex trafficking of a minor, transportation of a minor and adult across state lines for purposes of prostitution, and first degree child sexual abuse in connection with his illegal sex trafficking operation that involved the prostitution and sexual assault of young females.
From 2004-2005 Brice recruited females as young as 14 years of age to engage in prostitution for financial benefit. He used emotional and physical violence, including armed threats, to ensure compliance with his rules. Brice also had sexual intercourse with one of his prostitutes, then 14 years old.
He was sentenced to 30 years in prison to be followed by 10 years of supervised release for prostituting two girls aged 14 and 19. He will also have to register as a sex offender for life.
Mariece Sims
(Convicted in 2004)
Mariece Sims, 33, from Mississippi, was convicted of kidnapping, enticing a minor to engage in commercial sex, transporting a minor across state lines for purposes of prostitution, transporting an individual in interstate commerce for purposes of prostitution and inducing an individual to travel in interstate commerce for purposes of prostitution.
Sims and another man allegedly kidnapped a 16 year old girl from Arkansas in 2003, and brought her to Atlanta and coerced her into prostitution.
Sims was sentenced to life in prison for his crimes.
Sims' co-defendant, Dwayne Thigpen, pleaded guilty to the crimes and testified against Sims at the trial. He was sentenced to five years in federal prison.
